Electoral Act: NASS to consider report today •Senate recommends electronic voting at INEC’s discretion

FOLLOWING the laying of a report on the Electoral Act by the committees on Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC) at the two chambers of the National Assembly on Wednesday, the lawmakers will consider the report today.

Speaker of the House of  Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, had assured that the House would pass the bill before going for an annual break today. Chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya, laid the report before the Senate on Wednesday.

Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that those opposed to electronic transmission of results might have moderated their position as the Act now prescribes electronic transmission of results at the discretion of INEC.

The new sections read: “52(1) Voting at an election under this Bill shall be by open secret ballot. “52(2) Voting at an election under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the commission, which may include electronic voting. “52(3) The commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when  practicable.”

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, shortly after the committee submitted the report, dismissed insinuations that the leadership of the ninth National Assembly was planning to tinker with it. Lawan described the allegations against the leadership of both chambers of the National  Assembly as unfounded and mischievous, as he advised those who feel strongly against certain provisions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 to reach out to individual senators rather than recourse to blackmail.

He said: “On the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, there are various accusations, insinuations that the leadership of the  Senate, sometimes, the leadership of the National Assembly had tampered with the report of the committee on INEC of both chambers.

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“Some of those accusing the leadership of the National Assembly are misinformed innocent, some are simply mischievous and rabble-rousers. This is the first time the report is laid here and this is the report of the committee. “This is the decision of the committee on INEC and, therefore, whatever would be discussed or considered about the bill will be on the basis of what has been presented by the committee here.

“If anybody feels strongly about anything, he or she should meet the senators to canvass for their positions rather than blackmailing our leadership. “This is because my telephone lines and that of the Speaker were published and, on one day,  I received over 900 text messages saying that we have manipulated the report whereas we did not.

“We will do what is right. We have our procedures and lobbying is part of democracy.” At the House of Representatives, the chairman of the committee on INEC, Honourable Aisha Jibril Duku, laid the report at the plenary session presided over by Honourable Gbajabiamila.

Following the development,  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on senators and members of the House of  Representatives to shun partisanship and vote in the national interest on Section 50(2) of the Electoral Act  (Amendment) Bill, which dwells on electronic transmission of results.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by Kola Ologbondiyan, national publicity secretary, the party said it had come to its attention that certain interests were plotting a rejection of electronic transfer of results on the floors of both chambers of the National Assembly today.

The party asserted that it behoved every Nigerian, particularly the federal lawmakers, to work on the improvement of the nation’s electoral processes in order to engender free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

It insisted that there was no part of the country or any local government headquarters that communication network does not exist or function,  to warrant the exclusion of electronic transmission of election results from the law.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE