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From Fred Itua, Abuja
Barring any last minute change, both Chambers of the National Assembly, will today, pass a controversial amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act, wherein the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be empowered to determine the mode of voting and transmission of results to use.
In a document already circulated to senators and expected to be debated and passed today, the Joint Committee on INEC headed by Kabiru Gaya from Kano State, the adoption of electronic voting and transmission of results would be optional.
In 2015, there were claims that the card reader which is an aspect of electronic voting, failed in many southern states but reportedly succeeded in core north.
According to the Bill, Section 51 states that “The presiding officer shall separate the queue between men and women if in that area of the country the culture is such that it does not permit the mingling of men and women in the same queue.”
The most controversial clauses are in Section 52.
Section 52(2) States that “Voting at an election under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Commission which may include electronic voting.”
Section 52(3) states that “The Commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”
A senator who did not want to be named told Daily Sun that the latest development was strange to members of the Joint Committee, who he claimed, were oblivious of the alleged insertions.
Daily Sun had on Monday exclusively reported that plans by southern lawmakers to push for the compulsory inclusion of electronic transmission of results maybe twarted by their northern counterparts, who are insisting their region is not ripe for electronic voting.
A source had said a meeting had already been held by key northern lawmakers with governors from the region on how to stop the move.
The source claimed lawmakers and northern leaders pushing for the non-inclusion of electronic transmission of results were predominantly from the North West, North East and from states controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the region.
He said states in North Central with the exception of Kogi, Niger and Kwara states have decided to support their counterparts in the South.
The source said Taraba and lawmakers from northern minorities may alsovote for inclusion of electronic transmission of results.
It was also learnt that at the Gaya-led committee on INEC, senators could not find a common ground on the controversial issue. It was gathered that at their last meeting, many senators expressed disbelief over the alleged smuggling of the controversial Clause 50, which has now been deleted, into the document.
A member of the committee told Daily Sun that majority of the members of the panel had insisted that the clause must be yanked off or the entire amendment process would be jettisoned.
Last week, southern governors met in Lagos, where they resolved, among other things, that electronic transmission of results must be included in the ongoing Electoral Amendment. Since then, more vocal southern leaders, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in both Chambers of the National Assembly have called for the inclusion of electronic transmission of results.
Meanwhile, Lawan has cried out over continuous bombardment of his private telephone number and that of Gbajabiamila following claims by some Nigerians that politicians colluding with the National Assembly, planned to yank off electronic transmission of results.
He, however, urged Nigerians to lobby their lawmakers to do their bidding instead of accusing the leadership of the National Assembly of manipulating the outcome of parliamentary decisions.
“On the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, there are various accusations and insinuations that the leadership of the Senate, some time, the leadership of the National Assembly had tampered with the report of the committee on INEC of both chambers.
“Some of those accusing the leadership of the National Assembly and misinforming the innocent, some are simply mischievous and rabble rousers. This is the first time the report is laid here, and this is the report of the committee. This is the decision of the committee on INEC, and therefore, whatever would be discussed or considered about the bill will be on the basis of what has been presented to the committee here.
“If anybody feels strongly about any thing, he or she, should meet the senators to canvass for their positions rather than blackmailing our leadership. This is because my telephone lines and that of the Speaker were published, and on one day, I received over 900 text messages saying that we have manipulated the report, whereas we did not. We will do what is right. We have our procedures and lobbying is part of democracy.”
On Tuesday, the Senate, passed Electoral Offences Commission Establishment Bill into law, almost two years after it was sponsored on the floor of the Upper Legislative Chamber.
If signed into law, the Commission would be empowered to prosecute offenders involved in the destruction of ballot boxes or papers during election. The prescribed jail term is 20 years imprisonment.
According to the Bill, “no candidate or agent of his or any other person shall grab, loot, damage or destroy in any manner, ballot boxes or ballot papers or any other electoral document or material, before, during and after an election, or take or attempt to take or cause to be taken ballot boxes or ballot papers or any other electoral document or material before, during and after an election without the permission of election official in charge of the election at a polling station.”
However, there is a fine of at least N40 million for such an offence. The Bill is proposing a penalty for hate speech. It recommends that anyone who uses or directs the use of threatening words, behaviour or action,or display or directs the display of any written material which is threatening or incites violence is guilty of an offence that is liable. On conviction, he or she will be imprisoned for a term of at least Ten years or a fine of at least N40 million or both.
