President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, last Wednesday announced the constitution of a Conference Committee on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021, dealing majorly with the whether or not there should be electronic transmission of results of results.
But as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is concerned, it has the wherewithal to electronically transmit results, except it is stopped from doing so by an Act of the National Assembly.
At plenary last week, Ahmad announced those selected to be members of the Committee to include Senators Yahaya Abdullahi (Chairman); Kabiru Gaya (North-West); Basiru Ajibola (South-West); Danjuma Goje (North-East); Lilian Ekwunife (South-West); and Matthew Urhoghide (South-South).
Members of the Conference Committee are expected to liaise with their counterparts in the House of Representatives to harmonise the two versions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill passed by both chambers before embarking on its annual recess ten weeks ago.
Recall that in the contentious Section 52(3) of the Electoral Act, the Senate had approved that “The Commission (INEC) may consider electronic transmission of results, provided the national coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the National Communications Commission (NCC) and approved by the National Assembly.”
In the House of Representatives, the lawmakers preferred that “The Commission (INEC) may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.” This difference in both Houses necessitated a Conference Committee to harmonise both positions before it is passed and sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.
On Friday, INEC said it would not go back on electronics transmission of results from polling units in future elections, unless the National Assembly enacts a new law to stop it from doing so.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ogun State, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, stated this at a news conference at the state INEC headquarters.
According to Agbaje, who just resumed as the REC, the INEC already had enough law that capacitated it to transmit election results electronically.
Agbaje said: “We have enough law that capacitated us to go ahead but if the National Assembly says we cannot do it with the new committee that had been set up, we will stop and that will be a new law.
“However, it will be too bad if they are going to make a new law that will incapacitate us. With the shout by Nigerians, non-governmental bodies, the media and many other stakeholders, I believe the National Assembly will do the right thing so that INEC can go ahead and transmit results electronically.
“If the National Assembly feels that there is any way that NCC can help, they should call on the NCC.
They have enough time to do that. They have more than one and half years to do necessary things before the general election.
“We have the understanding that if results cannot be transmitted at a particular polling units or location, due to network problems, they can move from the unit level to ward level where there is network and do it.
“Even before the transmission, all the party agents would have the manual copies of the results.
“But for INEC, we are very ready, and we have the capacity to do it to the admiration of all Nigerians.
“But if the National Assembly says we cannot do it, well but for this coming election in Anambra State, and Ekiti and Osun States next year, we are going to do it.”
Speaking on the number of eligible voters that have registered in the Continuous Voter Register (CVR) in the first quarter of the exercise, Agbaje said the number recorded in Ogun State was lower when compared with the figure recorded in other South-west states of Ekiti, Osun and Ondo, and when the population is also taken into consideration.
Giving the figure, the REC said 414,928 persons have registered online in Osun State; 55,099 in Ondo State; 57,623 in Ekiti State and 46,937 in Ogun State.
He, therefore, urged stakeholders to help sensitise the people on the need to come out en masse and participate in the continuous voters’ exercise.
▪︎ Additional report by Politics Digest
We are ready for electronic transmission of results, only the National Assembly can stop us- INEC
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, last Wednesday announced the constitution of a Conference Committee on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021, dealing majorly with the whether or not there should be electronic transmission of results of results.
But as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is concerned, it has the wherewithal to electronically transmit results, except it is stopped from doing so by an Act of the National Assembly.
At plenary last week, Ahmad announced those selected to be members of the Committee to include Senators Yahaya Abdullahi (Chairman); Kabiru Gaya (North-West); Basiru Ajibola (South-West); Danjuma Goje (North-East); Lilian Ekwunife (South-West); and Matthew Urhoghide (South-South).
Members of the Conference Committee are expected to liaise with their counterparts in the House of Representatives to harmonise the two versions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill passed by both chambers before embarking on its annual recess ten weeks ago.
Recall that in the contentious Section 52(3) of the Electoral Act, the Senate had approved that “The Commission (INEC) may consider electronic transmission of results, provided the national coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the National Communications Commission (NCC) and approved by the National Assembly.”
In the House of Representatives, the lawmakers preferred that “The Commission (INEC) may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.” This difference in both Houses necessitated a Conference Committee to harmonise both positions before it is passed and sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.
On Friday, INEC said it would not go back on electronics transmission of results from polling units in future elections, unless the National Assembly enacts a new law to stop it from doing so.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ogun State, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, stated this at a news conference at the state INEC headquarters.
According to Agbaje, who just resumed as the REC, the INEC already had enough law that capacitated it to transmit election results electronically.
Agbaje said: “We have enough law that capacitated us to go ahead but if the National Assembly says we cannot do it with the new committee that had been set up, we will stop and that will be a new law.
“However, it will be too bad if they are going to make a new law that will incapacitate us. With the shout by Nigerians, non-governmental bodies, the media and many other stakeholders, I believe the National Assembly will do the right thing so that INEC can go ahead and transmit results electronically.
“If the National Assembly feels that there is any way that NCC can help, they should call on the NCC.
They have enough time to do that. They have more than one and half years to do necessary things before the general election.
“We have the understanding that if results cannot be transmitted at a particular polling units or location, due to network problems, they can move from the unit level to ward level where there is network and do it.
“Even before the transmission, all the party agents would have the manual copies of the results.
“But for INEC, we are very ready, and we have the capacity to do it to the admiration of all Nigerians.
“But if the National Assembly says we cannot do it, well but for this coming election in Anambra State, and Ekiti and Osun States next year, we are going to do it.”
Speaking on the number of eligible voters that have registered in the Continuous Voter Register (CVR) in the first quarter of the exercise, Agbaje said the number recorded in Ogun State was lower when compared with the figure recorded in other South-west states of Ekiti, Osun and Ondo, and when the population is also taken into consideration.
Giving the figure, the REC said 414,928 persons have registered online in Osun State; 55,099 in Ondo State; 57,623 in Ekiti State and 46,937 in Ogun State.
He, therefore, urged stakeholders to help sensitise the people on the need to come out en masse and participate in the continuous voters’ exercise.
▪︎ Additional report by Politics Digest
