Ambassador-designate and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Reno Omokri, has expressed support for the electronic transmission of election results, describing opposition to the policy as unpatriotic, but cautioned that real-time electronic transmission across Nigeria is unrealistic.
Omokri spoke on Wednesday while appearing on Politics Today on Channels Television, against the backdrop of public outrage over the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026.
The Senate recently passed the bill through a third reading, removing the phrase “real-time” from provisions relating to electronic transmission of results — a move that has sparked protests in several parts of the country.
Backing the use of technology in the electoral process, Omokri said electronic transmission itself should not be controversial.
“If you want to have the electronic transmission of result, I support that. I don’t think anybody who is going to be against that is patriotic,” he said.
However, he argued that insisting on real-time transmission nationwide does not reflect the country’s realities.
“People agree to the electronic transmission of result. The issue is these people asking for unrealistic policies of real-time electronic transmission of result,” Omokri stated.
Drawing a comparison with another African country, he said the challenges experienced during Nigeria’s 2023 general elections were similar to what was recorded in South Africa.
“What happened in South Africa is exactly what happened in 2023 in Nigeria. Election results can be transmitted electronically in Nigeria. However, there are some places where you don’t have coverage because Nigeria is a large country,” he said.
Omokri’s comments come amid repeated clarifications by the Senate that it did not reject electronic transmission of results, but only removed the requirement for real-time transmission. Despite the explanations, civil society groups and protesters have continued to insist that the words “real-time electronic transmission” must be clearly stated in the amended law.
Also speaking during the programme, Omokri addressed public speculation surrounding his possible appointment in the Bola Tinubu administration.
He said he had never ruled out working for the country under the current government, but only explained personal reservations about accepting certain roles.
“That’s not what I said. The question you asked me was that if Tinubu asked me to work with him, would I accept? I said no, it’s not in my DNA,” he explained.
According to him, his earlier comments were based on positions he had taken in the past.
“When I met with the administration’s officials, I said I can’t take certain positions because of certain things that I said earlier. However, I never said I cannot work for Nigeria,” Omokri said.
He added that his current responsibility as an ambassador-designate would be strictly in the national interest.
“As an ambassador, I’m going to work for Nigeria. I will be an ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
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