Dele Momodu, a senior figure in the African Democratic Congress, has publicly challenged Senate President Godswill Akpabio over his claim that mobile network services are unavailable in nine states across Nigeria. The ADC chieftain called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently engage telecommunications providers to resolve any connectivity issues and ensure smooth electronic transmission of election results.
Momodu, speaking on X, questioned why network challenges should be used as a reason to undermine electronic results. He pointed out that modern technology now allows high-speed internet even on aircraft flying at 40,000 feet, making claims of ground-level network failure increasingly difficult to justify.
“Sir, name the nine states where mobile networks are supposedly not working. INEC should immediately reach out to our telecom operators to address any gaps in those areas,” Momodu wrote. “We are not in an illiterate era. If internet and phones work seamlessly in the skies, excuses about network failures on the ground are untenable. Are we really going to compromise a credible electoral process because of potential challenges in nine out of 36 states plus Abuja? It makes our nation appear permanently backward, as if we are beyond repair.”
He urged authorities to clearly identify the states affected and take swift action to resolve any connectivity problems, rather than jeopardize the credibility of electronic voting. According to Momodu, weakening or canceling electronic transmission due to challenges in a few states paints Nigeria as a country resigned to backwardness.
Momodu’s remarks came after Akpabio warned that insecurity in about nine states could disrupt real-time electronic transmission of election results. Speaking at a public event on proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, Akpabio claimed that mobile networks were not functioning in certain areas affected by insecurity, leaving the federal government with limited options.
“Real-time transfer of results means that in over nine states where networks are not working because of insecurity, there will be no election results,” Akpabio said. “If the national grid collapses and no network is working, there will be no election results.”
