On the early morning of 26 February 2023, electoral officers queued at a collation centre in Bauchi, Nigeria, carrying results and election materials; a live report captioned the scene, “We may spend the night here.” After voters had waited at polling units, the officials transporting their votes now waited for their own turn in the local collation process.
An election queue does not end at the ballot box. Results move from polling units through local, state and national stages, with people and documents checked at each transfer. This overnight line showed that democratic numbers do not appear instantly on a screen: they travel step by step in sealed papers and the hands of tired staff.