Politics
Electoral Act: Rumbles In Senate Over Card Reader, Results’ Electronic Transmission
The plan to save the nation’s electoral process from malpractices by making card reader and electronic transmission of results compulsory during polls, is currently generating controversy in the Senate.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the Senator Kabiru Gaya-led Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission, based on input from Nigerians during the public hearing on the ongoing amendments to the Electoral Act, has included the compulsory electronic transfer of votes and card reader, in its report.
The report of the Electoral Act 2010 Amendments Bill is billed for submission any moment from this week, according to a source, who is a member of the INEC panel.
There are, however, strong indications that some forces from outside the chambers have started lobbying their political allies in the Senate to oppose the provision for electronic voting.
A Senator from the South-East geopolitical zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue, confided in our correspondent that there were actually moves to scuttle the use of electronic transmission of results in the 2023 general elections.
He said, “We all agreed at the commencement of the amendment exercise that we should include electronic voting in the bill but since INEC has told us its limitation regarding that for now, we settled for mandatory use of card readers and electronic transfer of results from the polling units to INEC central server.
“However, the feelers we are getting from some of our colleagues indicate that some people are warming up to reject the inclusion of the proposal in the bill by opposing it during third reading at plenary.
“I wonder for how long some people want to be manipulating election process in Nigeria to their advantage. The peoples’ vote must count. We won’t continue to allow some people to be writing results and imposing them on INEC.”
Another Senator from the South-West geopolitical zone, who also craved anonymity, said he was aware of surreptitious moves by some of his colleagues to oppose the issue of electronic voting and card reader.
He said, “ It is our wish that the card reader and electronic transfer of results be made compulsory by including it in the Electoral Act that we have just amended but some of our people are already opposing that novel idea.
“We have also made up our minds to mobilise our colleagues who have the interest of the country at heart to oppose any evil and wicked plans to rubbish the 2023 elections. The peoples’ vote must count.”
However, some senators who spoke with our correspondent on record said any plan to frustrate the use of electronic voting in the 2023 polls would fail.
They expressed delight that the INEC committee had included the mandatory use of electronic voting as part of their recommendations in their final report which would be presented to the Senate at plenary very soon.
They insisted that passing the amendments to the Electoral Act without specific provision for mandatory use of electronic voting would not make the National Assembly to achieve the intention of the current amendments.
Senator Matthew Urhoghide said he would vote for electronic voting anytime the report of the INEC committee is presented at plenary.
He said, “I’m not pessimistic, I am very optimistic that the electronic voting will be passed with the Electoral Act amendments. I will vote for it.
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“The sanctity of the ballot paper must be upheld. Anybody who subverts it is worse than armed robber.
“What we are saying is that once the vote is cast, it must be transmitted immediately to the server.
“We are insisting that the transmission of results must be done electronically to the server right from the polling unit”.
Also Senator Gershom Bassey said the electronic voting remained the best aspect of the electoral reforms.
He said, “We have not seen the report of the INEC committee yet so it is not good to speculate.
“We will have to wait and see but if we go by what happened during the eighth Assembly when the document was passed and sent to the executive for assent, the issues of electronic transfer of results and compulsory use of card reader was captured.
“It is my expectations that if we want free and fair elections in this country, it is a very crucial aspect of the electoral reforms.
“It is important that when people vote, as we saw in Edo State, as soon as you vote, the results at the polling unit are sent to the central server.
“It is that aggregation without any interference, from collation centres, and all sorts of funny things. It is possible to aggregate the results from the polling unit and come up with the results for the constituency”
Similarly, Senator Frank Ibezim said, “Electronic voting is the way to go because it is what the electorate want.”
Senators Abba Moro and Chukwuka Utazi also held similar view.
They insisted that the use of electronic voting remained the best way to achieve a free, fair and credible elections in the country.
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.
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