You’ve Powers To Determine Election Results’ Transmission – Senate Tells INEC

• Okays political parties to handle modalities for their primaries

BY EDMOND ODOK – The Senate has empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the procedure for transmitting results during the general elections.

Similarly, the Red Chamber said henceforth political parties are at liberty to determine modalities for their primaries to pick candidates for all elective positions.

These were amendments to some clauses of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) bill 2021, passed on July 15, 2021, by the Senate on Tuesday, October 11, 2021.

According to the lawmakers, subjecting the amended clauses of the bill to re-committal was a decision reached after critical examination by the Senate Committee on INEC.

The Senate noted that some fundamental issues which required fresh legislative action were observed by the Senator Kabiru Gaya-led Committee in the bill.

Consequently, the upper legislative chamber, in a motion for re-committal, re-amended certain aspects of the bill contained in Clauses 43, 52, 63, and 87, respectively.

In Clause 52 of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill passed almost three months ago, the Senate had approved that “the Commission (INEC) may consider the electronic transmission of results, provided the national coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secured by the National Communications Commission, and approved by the National Assembly.”

However, on Tuesday, the Senate amended the clause when the bill was subjected to re-committal to provide that, “subject to section 63 of this bill, voting at an election and transmission of results under this bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Commission.”

Also amended is Clause 87 that now allows political parties to determine the modality for holding primaries for aspirants to all elective offices.

With the development, members of the Conference Committee on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021, are expected to meet with their counterparts in the House of Representatives to harmonise the two versions passed by both legislative chambers.