A cross section of residents of four Local Government Areas, LGAs, in Oyo State has said the dual-mode transmission of election results would strengthen free, fair, and credible elections.
The respondents expressed their views in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, during the CVR enlightenment programme held in Oyo town on Thursday.
The enlightenment programme, organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, at Atiba University, Oyo, involved residents from Atiba, Oyo West, Afijio, and Oyo East LGAs.
NAN recalls that the Senate, on Wednesday, approved the electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
This decision reversed its earlier rejection of real-time electronic transmission.
The amended Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 allows presiding officers to transmit results electronically with a manual backup (Form EC8A) in case of network or technical glitches.
The residents noted that the dual-mode transmission would enhance transparency and enable the electorate to stay informed about election results.
The traditional ruler of Fiditi, in Afijio LGA, Oba Oyewole Oyelere, said the approval was vital toward building public confidence in INEC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Oyelere, the manual backup would serve as a ‘solution grace’ in areas where electronic transmission fails.
The leader of the Igbo Community in Oyo town, Eze Felix Ononuju, described the approval as a good development.
Ononuju said issues of court cases arising from elections would be minimised, as there would be some transparency.
A market leader at Atiba Market, Alhaja Abibat Oladeji, said the electronic transmission of election results with manual backup would reduce anxiety while awaiting the declaration of results.
According to Oladeji, real-time transmission of election results will enable the electorate to know their respective candidate’s performance before the final results are declared.
A youth leader in the zone, Mr Ismail Babafemi, said the method would reduce stress and disputes associated with results declaration.
Babafemi urged the electoral umpire, INEC, to ensure its staff abide by the laws and regulations guiding its operation.
Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner ,REC, in Oyo State, Prof. Adeniran Tella, urged owners of the over 500,000 uncollected Permanent Voter Cards ,PVCs, in INEC custody to collect them.
According to Tella, each uncollected PVC represents a silenced voice, a surrendered power and a missed opportunity to influence the future of the state.
He stressed that the future of the nation’s democracy could not be built on the foundations of uncollected PVCs and unregistered youth.
The REC called on eligible Nigerians who have yet to register to make good use of the ongoing PVC registration.
According to him, the rotational movement of the IVED machines aims to bring registration closer to intending registrants.
“These machines will spend 50 days, starting from Feb. 9 and ending April 10, excluding weekends and public holidays, moving from community to community, ensuring every citizen in every remote or rural area has a chance to register,” he said.
Tella reassured the people of the commission’s commitment to conducting the exercise with the highest levels of integrity, transparency and efficiency.
