Group unveils prayer for 2027 polls

The newly emerged National President of the Congress of NOUN Student, CONS, Comrade Daudu Jeffery, has described the comments of the Senate on the electronic transmission of results as not only disappointing but also damaging to Nigeria’s democratic image.

Recall that the Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee reviewing the 2026 Electoral Bill, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, had insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not currently possess the capacity to conduct electronic voting.

Adegbonmire, on Thursday, stated that Nigeria had not transitioned to an electronic voting regime, stressing that IReV “is not an e-voting platform, but a platform where the election results that have been manually counted and declared at the polling units are uploaded and publicised.”

Reacting to this, the CONS National President argued that such remarks indicate either a lack of political will or an unwillingness to embrace electoral integrity at a time when technology drives openness and accountability.

Speaking on Saturday in his acceptance speech after emerging as the National President of the Congress, Jeffery contended that the remark that Nigeria is “not ready” after several election cycles and significant financial investments in the electoral system begs the question of whether the country is truly committed to democratic reform.

He said, “Nigeria has reached a point where abnormalities are treated as normal and normal things are seen as strange. That is a dangerous reality for any nation that truly desires progress.

“The claim by the Senate that Nigeria is not ready for real-time transmission of election results is not only disappointing but also damaging to our democratic image. In an era where technology drives transparency and accountability across the world, making such a statement suggests either a lack of political will or an unwillingness to embrace electoral credibility.

“Real-time result transmission is not a luxury; it is a necessary tool to strengthen public trust, reduce electoral manipulation, and align Nigeria with global best practices. Saying we are ‘not ready’ after multiple election cycles and huge budgetary allocations to our electoral system raises serious concerns about our commitment to democratic reform. Nigeria is not incapable; what we lack is the courage to implement what is right.”

Meanwhile, he congratulated the newly inaugurated Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, urging him to prioritise key academic and administrative concerns affecting students of the institution.

“Your appointment is a significant milestone and a positive development for the institution. Please facilitate and implement academic projects that directly address the challenges facing students across study centres. Ensure timely and unrestricted access to complete course materials for all registered courses, in line with payments already made by students.

“Improve the efficiency of academic processes, particularly the prompt handling and release of results for non-examinable courses such as DES and other continuous assessment-based programmes.”

According to Jeffery, addressing these crucial issues will improve the educational process, shorten academic progression delays, and boost trust in the university’s distance learning system.

He, however, expressed appreciation to NOUN students nationwide for the confidence reposed in his leadership and reaffirmed his commitment to purposeful representation, student welfare, academic advancement, and the protection of the rights and interests of all NOUN students across study centres.

E-transmission: Senate ‘not ready’ remark undermines Nigeria’s democracy – Students’ leader