.NCC, NASS shouldn’t meddle in INEC affairs –PDP
The Senate on Thursday divided into two along party lines as members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate voted against electronic transmission of results.
The Committee had, in the report, recommended in Section 52(3) that, INEC “may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”
But an APC senator from Niger North, Sabi Abdullahi, amended the clause to read, “INEC may consider electronic collation of results, provided the national network coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secured by the Nigerian Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.”
EyewitnessMedia gathered that members of the Committee on Communications had earlier informed the chamber that the NCC had declared that only 43 per cent of the country was currently under effective telecommunications coverage.
Senate President, Ibrahim Lawan, ruled in favour of the amendment when he conducted a voice vote, however there was a disagreement and the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, called for a division which would require individual voting on the floor.
Lawan sustained Abaribe’s point of order and called for a division.
At the end of the poll, 88 senators voted, while 28 were not available to vote.
The outcome of the election showed that 52 APC senators, including the chairman of the Senate INEC committee, Kabiru Gaya, voted against the panel’s report, which gives the electoral umpire the sole power to determine the practicability of electronic transmission of results.
The Peoples Democratic Party members on the floor all voted in favour of electronic transmission of results by INEC without interference from either the NCC or the National Assembly.
The APC members, while casting their votes against the amendment, attributed their decision to the claim of the NCC that only 43 per cent of the country has network coverage.
The PDP senators, on the other hand, said allowing the NCC and the National Assembly to meddle in the affairs of INEC will affect the integrity of the polls.Senate adjourns untill Sept. 24
Adjournment
By Naomi Sharang
Abuja, July 15, 2021 (NAN)The Senate has adjourned untill Sept. 14, for its annual summer recess.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan made the announcement after considering the votes and proceedings at Thursday’s plenary.
Lawan congratulated the senators for devoting and sacrificing so much time towards achieving their goals.
“You will all recall that at the beginning of the 9th senate, we resolved to have a legislative agenda and in our legislative agenda, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the amendment of the Electoral Act 2010 are very key, central and they are pillars of what we have set for ourselves to do.
“We have achieved those two issues that we set for ourselves. We have passed the Conference Committee report on the PIB.
“Since we have passed the Conference Committee report in the senate, I will like to say our conference committee has finished its job. It has done that diligently and therefore the conference committee ceases to exist,” he said.
He said that with the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, it was envisaged that no Nigerian would be disenfranchised in future elections.
“Time will definitely come when all parts of Nigeria will have the coverage that we all need to deploy our technology to ensure electronic transmission of our election results.
“This has come to settle the issue of what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can do and what it cannot. We are giving INEC an Electoral Act amended to enhance its performance.
“This electronic voting that we have passed, there is a distinction between electronic voting and transmission. Electronic voting has been adopted by the senate.
“So we need to enlighten our people so that they are able to participate in the process. INEC should do its own part of enlightening Nigerians,” he said.(NAN) (
