Deji Elumoye
President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, yesterday took on critics of the National Assembly conditional approval of the electronic transmission of election results.
Lawan said at the weekend during a visit to his Yobe North Senatorial District, that a full approval of electronic transmission of election results, as preferred by a cross-section of the public, would have disenfranchised 50 per cent of voters.
He spoke against the backdrop of the criticisms that have trailed the National Assembly’s decision to circumscribe the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy electronic transmission of election results.
However, Lawan said a conference committee would be set up by both the Senate and the House of Representatives to harmonise their positions on the Electoral Act( Amendment) Bill 2021.
The Senate, on Thursday, while considering the bill, had voted 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.”
On its part, the version of the controversial Section 52 (3) of the bill as approved by the House says: “The commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”
Lawan explained that the Senate voted the way it did in defence of about half of the electorate whose votes may not be counted with immediate deployment or application of electronic transmission of election results.
He expressed joy that the Senate was able to pass the amendment bill even though some people are complaining of what was passed in the Senate and probably what the House of Representatives also passed.
According to him, the fact that most senators voted against the immediate application or deployment of electronic transmission of results from the polling units, didn’t mean they do not believe in electronic transmission of election results.
He stated that all the 109 senators once believed that the electoral process must deploy electronic transmission so that it eases and enhances the electoral process and give it more credibility and integrity.
Lawan called for caution as the nation has not reached the stage where it could electronically transmit election results from every part of the country.
He added that irrespective of the criticisms, Nigeria cannot have a situation whereby about 50 per cent of the voters are not participating or not getting their votes counted in elections and people will say it doesn’t matter.
He said: “We know the evils of not transmitting results electronically but compare the evils of electronically transmitting just half of the electoral votes from Nigerians and say you have elected a president with 50 per cent only.
And others have voted but their results or their votes could not be electronically transmitted.
“This is disenfranchising Nigerians and we are not going to support this kind of thing because essentially, we are supposed to be fair to every part of Nigeria and when we voted, every part of Nigeria voted for and against (the amendment).
“What I mean here is that, you have senators from Northern part of Nigeria who voted for electronic transmission. Maybe that is their belief or their environment is ready for electronic transmission. And you have senators from Southern part of Nigeria who voted against immediate deployment of electronic transmission but they support that the electronic transmission of results should be allowed after certain conditions are met and the conditions are simple: The National Communication Commission(NCC) had provided the technical information that only NCC could give – that only about 50 per cent of the Nigerian environment, the polling units, in the country could possibly have their results electronically transmitted.
“So what happens to the other 50 per cent? So, we believe that all of us in the Senate were aiming at the same target but chose to go through different routes and that is why in my concluded remarks in the Senate after the debate and voting, I said there was no victor, no vanquish because we all meant well.”
Lawan urged those who still feel that electronic transmission of election results should have been allowed not to feel bad about how it turned out, saying this is how democracy works.
“Democracy is to allow those minority views to be expressed and democracy provides that the majority views will always prevail,” he added.
He said it was wrong to conclude that senators who voted for electronic transmission with conditions did not like the results transmitted electronically.
He added: “I want to take this opportunity to debunk that insinuation or outright castigation of senators that voted against immediate deployment of electronic transmission that they don’t like electronic transmission. It is not true.
“Even though I didn’t vote, I believe that what my colleagues did is binding on all of us in the Senate. Twenty eight against 52.”
He stated that a conference committee will be constituted by the two chambers of the National Assembly to harmonise their positions on the bill before submission to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
He said: “l believe that what we have done requires that the Senate and the House will each constitute a conference committee. What we call harmonisation for the two sides. When we harmonise, then we will send it to Mr. President.”
