By John Alechenu, Abuja

Nigerians in the diaspora, under the aegis of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Diaspora Roundtable, have cautioned Senators against actions capable of undermining Nigeria’s ongoing efforts toward sustainable electoral reforms.

The group spoke in reaction to the controversy surrounding proposed amendments to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act in the Senate’s version of the amendment bill.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, the leader of the Roundtable, Yusuf Midala, expressed the group’s displeasure over the Senate’s decision to alter provisions relating to electronic transmission of election results in the amended Act.

Midala said the move could erode public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections and runs contrary to the widespread demand by Nigerians for greater transparency in the electoral process.

According to the group, electronic transmission of results remains “a basic safeguard against manipulation,” warning that any weakening of the provision risks a repeat of the controversies that trailed the 2023 general elections.

The Roundtable called on the House of Representatives and the joint conference committee of the National Assembly to restore the provision for mandatory electronic transmission of results in order to protect the integrity of future elections.

Meanwhile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the Senate’s position, insisting that the upper chamber did not reject electronic transmission of election results.

Akpabio made the clarification while speaking at the public presentation of a book titled “The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria,” authored by Senator Bob Effiong, in Abuja.

He said the Senate merely removed the phrase “real-time” from the provision to accommodate Nigeria’s peculiar technological challenges.

“All we said was to remove the words ‘real-time’ to allow INEC decide the mode of transmission. If you make it mandatory and there is a system failure, there will be a catastrophe,” Akpabio said, adding that the Senate would not allow itself to be pressured or bullied by civil society groups on the matter.