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by Otunba Abiodun Olufowobi
(aka PABIEKUN)

On 5 February 2026, the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), under Afam Osigwe, SAN, issued a strongly worded statement criticizing the National Assembly for failing to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory in Nigeria. The Association argued that real-time electronic transmission was indispensable to electoral integrity and suggested that any hesitation to adopt it reflected a lack of political will.

In the NBA’s estimation, real-time electronic transmission of results was not rocket science. It was portrayed as a straightforward technological solution capable of resolving many of the controversies that have long trailed Nigerian elections.

The confidence with which the proposal was advanced left little room for acknowledging the practical and technological complexities involved.

Yet, experience across several advanced democracies tells a more nuanced story. Countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland have, at various times, retreated from or declined to embrace extensive electronic voting systems because of concerns about cybersecurity, transparency, auditability and vulnerability to manipulation.

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Other developed democracies have approached the subject with similar caution, recognising that electoral legitimacy depends not only on speed and convenience but also on public confidence in the integrity of the process.

Despite these realities, the NBA leadership appeared convinced that Nigeria should boldly embrace real-time electronic transmission. The implication was that the solution was simple and that the obstacles were more political than technological.

THEN REALITY INTERVENED!

Determined to match its advocacy with action, the NBA adopted an electronic voting system with real-time transmission of results for its own presidential election an electorate of fewer than 150,000 lawyers. What followed became a sobering lesson in the gulf between theory and execution. The system reportedly encountered serious technical failures, leading to delays, controversy and widespread dissatisfaction with the process.

The irony was striking. The same Association that confidently prescribed electronic transmission for a national electorate of over 90 million registered voters found itself struggling to conduct an election involving only a tiny fraction of that number.

This episode should remind us that governance is rarely as simple as it appears from the sidelines. It is always easier, safer and often consequence-free to preach principles than to implement them. The moment one takes the driver’s seat, one begins to appreciate the complexities that were invisible from the passenger’s seat.

There is an old saying that the person who claims cotton is not heavy has carried only a handful of it. It is a timeless reminder that confidence is cheap when one bears no responsibility for execution. Burdens reveal their true weight only when they are placed upon one’s own shoulders.

The Urhobo capture the same wisdom in another proverb: when an elephant says a load is too heavy, a snail that boasts it can carry the same load merely exposes its own ignorance. Proverbs endure because they distil generations of experience into a few unforgettable words. They remind us that humility is often the companion of responsibility.

None of this is an argument against technological innovation or electoral reform. Electronic systems undoubtedly have an important place in modern elections.

But technology is not magic. It requires resilient infrastructure, cybersecurity safeguards, extensive testing, contingency planning and public confidence. Those who advocate reform must also appreciate the immense responsibility of implementation.

The NBA’s experience is therefore instructive. Institutions should be careful before dismissing the practical challenges faced by those entrusted with administering complex national processes. There is a profound difference between recommending a solution and successfully delivering it under real-world conditions.

Every organisation is entitled to make mistakes. What distinguishes responsible leadership is the willingness to learn from them. The lesson from the NBA’s experience is not that electronic voting should be abandoned, but that confidence must be tempered with humility, and advocacy with practical experience.

Reality has a way of humbling even the most confident institutions.

It is, indeed, far easier said than done!!!

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