In politics, power normally seeks legitimacy. When a party controls the numbers, the institutions, and the map, it should logically be the loudest voice demanding transparent elections. That is why a troubling question now echoes across Nigeria’s political space and public square: if the ruling establishment already holds overwhelming structural power, why the hesitation around real time electronic transmission of election results?
Let us look at the landscape as many citizens currently perceive it.
The ruling party bloc commands about 82 of 109 Senators. It holds roughly 242 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives. It governs 30 of 36 states through sitting governors. That is not marginal influence. That is dominance by any democratic measure.
Beyond the legislature and the states, critics argue that the broader power ecosystem tilts in the same direction. Many believe the institutional balance of the judiciary favors incumbency. Many believe the electoral management body lacks sufficient independence in practice, regardless of its constitutional status. Many believe opposition parties have been weakened by internal fractures, defections, and elite deal making. Many believe both formal security forces and informal street level coercive networks are politically aligned with those at the center.
Whether every one of these claims is fully accurate or partly exaggerated is almost beside the point. What matters is that this is the widespread public perception. And perception in politics is combustible reality.
Now comes the central contradiction.
If a political bloc truly enjoys this scale of structural advantage, legislative majority, executive spread, institutional influence, opposition fragmentation, then transparent, real time electronic transmission of polling unit results should be its strongest selling point, not its greatest fear. Openness would validate its dominance. Instant uploads would silence doubters. Verifiable collation would strengthen mandates.
Transparency is dangerous only to those unsure of their arithmetic.
Real time electronic transmission does three simple things. It reduces human interference between polling unit and collation center. It creates a public audit trail. It narrows the gap between what voters see and what gets declared. In modern democracies, that is not radical. It is routine.
Citizens are therefore asking a blunt question. If victory is certain, why resist visibility. If the numbers are secure, why fear instant publication. If the structure is strong, why avoid digital sunlight.
Democracy does not collapse only when votes are stolen. It collapses when citizens become convinced that votes no longer matter. Once that belief takes hold, turnout falls, anger rises, and the street replaces the ballot as the arena of contest. No ruling party, however powerful, should want that trade.
There is also a strategic warning embedded here. Mandates produced under transparent systems are stronger, more defensible, and more stable. Governments born under suspicion govern under permanent protest. Even good policies are rejected when legitimacy is doubted. Every reform becomes a fight. Every decision becomes contested. Every crisis becomes political.
Real time electronic transmission is not an opposition demand. It is a system protection device. It protects voters from manipulation. It protects candidates from false accusations. It protects winners from illegitimacy. It protects the state from unrest.
Nigeria is too fragile economically and socially to gamble with electoral credibility again. Youth frustration is high. Trust in institutions is low. Political rhetoric is already heated. In such an environment, opacity is not neutral. It is provocative.
The smartest move any dominant political force can make now is simple. Embrace radical transparency. Mandate real time electronic transmission. Open the result pipeline. Let every polling unit speak instantly and publicly.
Because when you already control the numbers, the map, and the machinery, transparency is not your enemy. It is your proof.
By Hon. Chima Nnadi-Oforgu
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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