We have all talked, argued, agitated, laughed, trended hashtags and thrown opinions around about this so called real time transmission of election results, but let us pause and get serious for a moment and allow me to break it down properly as an IT enthusiast and software, ITQCAP, database and cybersecurity specialist who lives and works in a major US technology hub where advanced digital systems are used daily to monitor, analyze, investigate, interpret, prevent and control crime, because this conversation requires technical understanding, not social media noise.
There is a dangerous confusion in public discourse between “real time transmission” and credible election results. They are not the same thing.
First, what does REAL TIME transmission actually mean?
Real time transmission means that results are sent electronically from polling units immediately after voting ends, directly into a central database system for collation. It requires:
• Stable nationwide broadband coverage
• Secure encrypted networks
• Hardened central servers
• Redundant backup systems
• Cybersecurity monitoring in real time
• Power stability across rural and urban polling units
• Highly trained technical personnel at scale
Now let us ask ourselves honestly. Does Nigeria currently have uninterrupted nationwide connectivity in every village, riverine area, mountainous region and remote community?
This is not about emotion, my dear Nigerians. It is about infrastructure reality. Even some of the most technologically advanced nations in the world do not operate a fully centralized real time electronic transmission model as people imagine.
The United States does not have nationwide real time electronic transmission from polling units. America still relies heavily on paper ballots and even mail in ballots. Results are reported in phases.
The United Kingdom uses paper ballots and manual counting. Canada uses paper ballots. Germany uses paper ballots and manual counting. France uses paper ballots. These are countries with advanced infrastructure, yet they prioritize verifiability, auditability and public trust over speed.
Now, yes, some countries have adopted electronic transmission models. Philippines transmits results electronically after polls close using secured networks. Estonia processes internet votes electronically. Brazil transmits results from electronic voting machines to central servers for rapid collation. But here is what people ignore. Those systems are built on decades of structured digital infrastructure, cybersecurity architecture, and continuous upgrades. Even then, cybersecurity concerns remain a global issue.
To those casually saying INEC should “partner with Starlink,” please understand that election systems are not about internet speed. They are about:
• Database architecture
• Data integrity
• Encryption standards
• Insider threats
• Server redundancy
• National sovereignty over critical infrastructure
• Cyber warfare risks
A satellite internet provider does not solve database security or endpoint vulnerabilities at thousands of polling units. And let us not ignore a very critical point.
Elon Musk himself has publicly said:
“I speak as a technologist, voting and election should not be handled by computers. Use the ballots, with each person voting with ID. Computers can be hacked and compromised.”
If the owner of a global tech infrastructure company acknowledges the vulnerability of digital systems, why are we pretending elections are immune to hacking?
Speed is not credibility, and transmission in “real time” does not automatically equal transparency.
A physically signed result sheet at the polling unit, endorsed by party agents, remains one of the strongest legal safeguards because it creates an auditable trail that courts can examine.
What the Senate has adopted is pragmatic.
Electronic transmission where possible.
Manual documentation as the legal fallback where there are network challenges. This is not backwardness. This is layered protection.
You cannot build electoral credibility on technological fantasy. You build it on what is achievable, secure and sustainable within your national capacity. Policy must reflect infrastructure reality.
Leadership is not about copying Brazil or Estonia blindly. It is about designing a system that works for Nigeria’s terrain, bandwidth limitations, cybersecurity capacity and legal framework. Let us debate with knowledge, not noise. And let us strengthen institutions with facts, not sentiment, please. And if anyone prefers conflict or violence over constructive engagement, that says more about their political strategy than about electoral reform.
Nigeria deserves informed citizens, not viral misinformation.
Education before agitation. Always.
- Prof. Mgbeke
