Electoral Act: PRP, urges Inclusion of Electronic Transmission Of Results

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has warned National Assembly against passing an amendment to the Electoral Act to prohibit electronic transmission of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The committees of both chambers of the National Assembly on INEC are currently fine-tuning the final draft of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill before passage.

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There were reports that the lawmakers, against the popular demands of stakeholders during public hearings, had altered the initial draft, especially Section 50 (2) which empowers INEC to introduce technology in transmitting election results.

This was contained in a press statement by the  National Chairman, Falalu Bello, made available to Newsmen in Abuja. said passing Section 50 (2) of the bill as it is would amount to an endorsement of electoral fraud by federal lawmakers

He also said instead of improving the conduct of elections in Nigeria, the bill, in its current form, would significantly undermine the integrity of future elections in the country.

He said, “Electronic transmission of results has become a global best practice for electoral integrity, being introduced and/or perfected in many electoral jurisdictions.

“Yet, the National Assembly seems set to prohibit INEC from doing it! By prohibiting rather than legalizing it, the National Assembly members would seem to endorse tampering with results collation, tabulation and processing, which the current manual/analogue processing entails, with all the accompanying fraudulent activities.”

Bello also said prohibiting INEC to review election results declared under duress or in contravention of electoral law by Returning Officers (ROs) would embolden politicians to brazenly buy off ROs to declare fraudulent results.

He, therefore, called on the National Assembly to halt the passage of the new Electoral Bill 2021 until appropriate corrections are made, consistent with citizens’ popular demands.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has also rejected the exclusion of electronic transmission of results.

National Publicity Secretary, IPAC, Ambassador Agbo Major, said on Monday in Abuja that the development is a coup against Nigerians who desire and deserve credible elections.

According to him, the development also turned the recent stakeholders’ meetings and public hearings on the matter with federal legislators to mere jamborees.