We Agreed To Retain Electronic Transmission Of Results During Closed Sessions – Lawmaker Raises Alarm

The senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh has stated that the fears expressed by Nigerians over the failure to entrench real-time electronic transmission in law are legitimate.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television, the lawmaker warned that Nigeria risk undermining public confidence in its electoral process if the National Assembly fails to clearly entrench real-time electronic transmission of election results in law.

He insisted that ambiguity in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act could reopen the credibility crisis witnessed after the 2023 general elections

“What is ongoing now is something that, if care is not taken, the fears of Nigerians will be confirmed, that electronic transmission of results will be dropped,” Umeh warned.

He stressed that while senators largely agreed during a closed-door session that results should be transmitted electronically to INEC’s portal, that consensus was effectively overturned during plenary without debate.

“While we agreed that electronic transmission of results would be retained during our closed session, when we returned to plenary, something happened. The Chief Whip moved that electronic transmission be expunged and replaced with ‘transfer’, the Deputy Senate President seconded it, and the Senate President immediately put it to a voice vote,” he said.

Umeh explained that the resulting decision meant that what currently exists in the Senate’s version of the amendment is not electronic transmission but a return to the vague provision of “transfer of results” contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.

“Anybody who says electronic transmission was not removed is not saying the truth. What you will find there is transfer of results. Go and read Section 65 of the 2022 Electoral Act, it talks about transfer, not electronic transmission,” he stated.

He noted that the push to amend the Electoral Act was triggered by the Supreme Court’s ruling after the 2023 presidential election, which held that electronic transmission was not recognised under existing law and therefore inadmissible as evidence.

“This issue did not come from the moon. It came from what happened in 2023, where the Supreme Court said electronic transmission is unknown to our law.

“That judgement informed the effort to amend the Electoral Act so that electronic transmission of results will be clearly provided for,” Umeh said.