..Retains Manual Backup
..Mixing e-transmission of results with manual will cause confusion – Atiku
….Tinubu Expected To Sign Amended Electoral Bill This Month, Says Akpabio
The Senate has amended the Electoral Act to permit the electronic transmission of election results, leaving safeguards to address potential technical challenges.
The decision follows the upper chamber’s move on Tuesday to rescind its earlier position, which had rejected the compulsory electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
Following the new amendment, the Senate approved electronic transmission (without the real time phrase) as part of the electoral process but stipulated that where internet connectivity fails, the Form EC8A will remain the primary instrument for result collation.
Senator Tahir Mungono moving a motion
Under the proposal, electronic transmission would serve as the primary method of uploading results.
However, in the event of technical challenges such as network failures, the motion provides for a fallback option allowing the manual transmission of results using Form EC8A, duly signed and stamped by the presiding officer.
The proposal, however, sparked concerns among lawmakers, particularly over the reliance on Form EC8A as the primary source of election results, where disputes arise.
The differing views led to sharp divisions on the floor of the Senate, prompting Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe to call for an individual vote on the matter to clearly determine the position of each lawmaker.
However, rather surprisingly, Senator Abaribe withdrew his call for individual votes moments later.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe
The votes and proceedings were then approved and adopted by the upper chamber.
12-member committee
Meanwhile, the upper chamber has appointed a 12-member conference committee to harmonise differences between its version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill and that of the House of Representatives.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the decision during an emergency plenary session on Tuesday.
“After consultation with the leadership, we have moved the number from nine to 12. I will now read out the names of the conference committee members from the Senate,” Akpabio said on the floor of the Senate.
The members are:
1. Senator Simon Bako Lalong – Chairman
2. Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno – Member
3. Senator Adamu Aliero – Member
4. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu – Member
5. Senator Abba Moro – Member
6. Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong – Member
7. Senator Aminu Iya Abbas – Member
8. Senator Tokunbo Abiru – Member
9. Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (SAN) – Member
10. Senator Jibrin Isah – Member
11. Senator Ipalibo Banigo – Member
12. Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi – Member
He urged the committee to treat its assignment as urgent, expressing optimism that the process could be concluded swiftly.
Mixing e-transmission of results with manual will cause confusion – Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday downplayed the mixture of electronic and manual transmission of election results.
Atiku, who was reacting to the approval by the Senate, said he does not support such a measure.
He spoke after holding a closed-door meeting with former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, in Niger State.
The former Vice President said such a measure would cause confusion.
He said: “I don’t support the mixture of electronic and manual transmission of election results passed by the Senate.
“It’s going to cause more confusion, and I think there’s a need for all the opposition parties to come together to pursue this issue.”
The former Vice President also dismissed the case for zoning in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary.
Tinubu Expected To Sign Amended Electoral Bill This Month, Says Akpabio
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law this month, according to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio said this on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session where the lawmakers constituted a committee to harmonise its version of the bill with the one passed by the House of Representatives amid the backlash triggered by some amendments to the Act.
“I believe that if you are able to conclude within this —in the next few days or one week— the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into an Act of Parliament within this month of February,” the Senate president told the lawmakers. “So I wish you a worthy deliberation with your colleagues.”
‘Matter of Urgency’
The 12-member committee will work with the House of Representatives to harmonise the versions of the bills passed by both bodies, he told the Senate.
Akpabio asked the committee to take the work as a “matter of urgency”.
“The conference committee, when you meet, you should recognize that this is a matter of urgency,” the senator said.
He said the expansion of the committee followed “consultation with the leadership” and in a bid to be “together with our colleagues in the House of Representatives.”
