Senate President Godswill Akpabio defends Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the National Assembly’s decision to remove the requirement for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from the amended Electoral Act, insisting the move was deliberate and based on practical concerns.
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Akpabio said lawmakers dropped the “real-time” provision during the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill to avoid potential legal complications that could arise from network failures during elections. According to him, making real-time transmission compulsory could open the floodgates to court cases if technical glitches occur.
He made the remarks at a book launch. Akpabio explained that the Senate’s intention was not to oppose electronic transmission itself, but to avoid rigid wording that could destabilize the electoral process.
He noted that the responsibility for determining how election results are transmitted should rest with the Independent National Electoral Commission, stressing that INEC is best placed to decide the most suitable mode of result transmission based on prevailing conditions.
, Akpabio referenced the 2000 United States presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore, pointing out that even advanced democracies have struggled with electronic voting and result transmission. He warned that similar scenarios in Nigeria could easily trigger unrest and allegations of fraud.
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Meanwhile, the Senate’s amendments to the Electoral Act have sparked widespread public debate. While several sections of the law were revised, the removal of mandatory electronic transmission of results has drawn the most criticism.
Political parties, civil society organizations and social media users have expressed concern over the decision, calling on lawmakers to reverse it. Some activist groups have gone further by calling for protests at the National Assembly, with a coalition under the banner “Enough is Enough” mobilizing supporters using the hashtag #OccupyNASS.
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