By Andy Asemota
The Senate has passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 after a stormy plenary and a closed-door session which culminated in the rejection of electronic transmission of results unless approved by the National Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Assembly.

Speaking shortly after the passage of the bill, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said if any amendment effected by the Red Chamber is different from that of the House of Representatives, both chambers would raise conference committees to harmonize the two versions before the bill will be sent to President Muhammad Buhari for his assent.

The alteration of section 52(3) of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC on the Electoral Bill was sequel to the motion moved by Senator Sani Abdullahi Aliyu (Niger North, APC), to amend the section which says: “The commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”

Sen. Aliyu proposed a further amendment to give the discretion to introduce electronic transmission of results to NCC subject to the approval of the Senate.

Tambuwal urges NASS on electronic voting processes

A counter-motion moved by Sen. Albert Basset Alkpan (Akwa Ibom, N/East, PDP), which sought that the amendment as proposed by the Senate Committee be retained was however defeated.

The development resulted in a rowdy session which culminated in a closed-door session of the Senate but when the plenary resumed, the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South, PDP), raised Order 43 and challenged the decision of the Senate on the motion moved by Sen. Albert Akpan.

After a rigorous voting exercise by the 80 senators present, excluding the Senate president, the senators against giving INEC full discretion to introduce electronic transmission of results carried the day by 52 to 28 votes.
Prominent among the amendments endorsed by the Senate include the official recognition of the use of Card Readers in elections.