2023: Senate passes electronic transmission of results

Following the Conference Committee report which placed the onus of transmitting election results on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senate on Tuesday adopted clause 53 of the report and passed the amendment into law.

The adoption has restored INEC’s discretion to transmit results without recourse to other arms of government as was initially passed by the Senate that became a subject of controversy.

Clearly, the House of Representatives’s version which affirmed INEC’s sole powers to transmit results was sustained by the Conference Committee and eventually scaled.

Senator Adamu Aliero and former governor of Kebbi State in his submission urged Senators to support the amendment in order to strength democracy, stating that democratic should be allowed to grow.

He said: This is a move that will deepen our democracy and a move that will make the electorate to vote according to their conscience. This will put paid to criminals having their way as people of questionable can no longer be voted.
Senators have heated debate on the consideration of the Conference Committee report particular on clause 87 which the report recommended direct primaries.

Senator Smart Adeyemi representing Kogi West Senatorial district in his presentation kicked against direct primaries on grounds that some political parties lack capacities to do so.

He advocated strongly that some political parties lack capacities to organise direct primaries, saying, it should be left for party executives to conduct indirect primaries.

Supporting direct primaries, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele representing Ekiti Central Senatorial district said every card carrying member of a political party should be allowed to vote for their aspirants, adding that indirect primary was anti-democratic.

“I support this motion and like to mention specifically that in clause 87 that every card carrying member of any political party should be able to vote and it is a way of giving back power back to the people.

“This is not about any political party, every political party will enjoy this. Therefore, let every party member have the opportunity to vote who they wanted.”

Senator Abdulfatai Buhari representing Oyo North corroborated in his submission, saying those opposed to direct primaries were afraid, wondering that of a contestant was as popular he thinks, then he or she needed not to be afraid.

“Let practice democracy in accordance with the global best practices. I see no reason why anybody should be afraid of direct primaries as it goes to solve problems of aspirants.

Senator Shuaibu Lau representing Taraba North Senatorial district called for caution so as not to tie political parties to a form of conducting primaries. He said the mode of conducting primaries should be left for parties to decide.

He maintained: “I agree with amended of clause 87 which has to do with political party primaries.

We must therefore not tied parties to one way traffic of conducting primaries and not because there are beliefs that governors are highjacking parties and not free parties to democratically elect their leaders.

When the Chamber resorted to the Committee of the whole, the electronic means of transmitting election result was passed , while political parties are to determine how their primaries are conducted.

CAPITAL POST last week, reported that the Conference Committee who were drawn from the Senate and House of Representatives sustained the House of Representatives version as against the Senate.

A source close to the venue of the Committee which met at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja told CAPITAL POST, that INEC’s sole powers to transmit election results would be sustained.