September 23, (THEWILL) – The Southern and Middle-Belt Alliance (SaMBA) has charged the 7-member Conference Committee on the amendment of Electoral Act, to redeem the image of the Senate.
THEWILL reports that the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had on Wednesday, 22nd September 2021, constituted a seven-member Conference Committee to work with its counterpart in the House of Representatives, to harmonize positions on the contentious aspects of the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill.
SaMBA in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Rwang Pam Jr., advised the Senate committee members to “proactively adopt” the position of the House of Representatives version of Section 52 (3), of the Electoral Amendment Bill, on the electronic transmission of election results.
It warned the lawmakers against subjecting the powers of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to the approval of the National Communication Commission (NCC).
“The setting up of a Conference Committee on the amendment of the Electoral Act by the Senate President is a golden opportunity for the Senate to redeem its battered image as a result of its prior decision to subject the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) power of transmission of elections results through electronic means to the approval of National Communication Commission (NCC)”, SaMBA said.
To address the anomaly created by the Senate by subjecting INEC’s decision to the approval of the NCC, SaMBA recommended that “the transmission of Election results via electronic means should be as a matter of course and should be part of INEC’s core functions as it minimises the plausibility of interference.
“The transmission of elections results by electronic means is the pathway to a trusted, valid, free and fair election results.
“If the Nigerian Senate truly believed in trusted, free and fair elections, then the use of electronic means to transmit elections results must and should be included in the Electoral Act.
“We expect the Senators in the Conference Committee to adopt section 52 (3) House of Representatives version of the amendment bill which stipulated that:
“The Commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable”
SaMBA further said that, “Adopting the House of Representatives version of the Amendment bill will give credibility to our elections which in turn will earn the country a respectable position among the comity of nations. Failure to embrace the electronic transfer of election results will make Nigeria, and, the National Assembly a laughingstock.
“We therefore emphasize that the transmission of Elections results through electronic means is the pathway to a trusted, valid, free and fair elections in Nigeria.”
About the Author
