By Mudiaga Affe, Kassim Omomia and Cajetan Mmuta
The last is yet to be heard about the electronic transmission of votes as more Nigerians, including lawmakers and activists, have faulted the National Assembly approval of the controversial issue.

The decision by the National Assembly to jettison the electronic transmission, these Nigerians argue, is a big deceit.

Both chambers of the National Assembly had last week okayed the non-transmission of the 2023 elections electronically before embarking on a two-month vacation.

Instead, a majority of the members of the National Assembly urged the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as to National Communications Commission (NCC) to use their discretion in determining the approach in conducting the polls.

But the opposing lawmakers, led by the minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu,while dismissing the non-acceptance of the electronic transmission of votes, said his group was not part of the ‘sham’.

The Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker said his party and other lovers of true democracy would continue to agitate for the right amendment to be carried out, even after they resumed in September.

According to Elumelu, the non-acceptance of the electronic transmission of election results is a grand design by the leading party, the All Progressives Congress, to scuttle the 2023 elections.

He maintained that the APC by rejecting electronic transmission was jettisoning anything that would bring integrity and credibility to the nation’s electoral process.

Elumelu further posited, “First, they stopped both the INEC chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood and his NCC counterpart, Prof. Umar Danbatta, from appearing in persons before the House.

“He was asked to stay back, and we tried to inquire why, and they told us that it is because they don’t want INEC to be seen to be biased and that was why they deprived INEC of coming in.

“Now the NCC itself also, they asked the executive vice-chairman not to show up and thereby he instructed one of his directors to show up. Even the director himself could not even substantiate issues”.

Elumelu said they had no choice but to walk out and inform the public that they could not be part of “that fake process where they are depriving Nigerians their right for their results to be counted accurately because by electronic transmission of results it will guide against fraud; it will guide against rigging and votes can count.’’

According to him, what the deputy speaker did was to discountenance their agitation, which was to allow for transparency in the next conduct of election.

Reacting, the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, said the party would challenge the lawmakers’ decision, adding that PDP members had done their own part. He added that the rejection of the clause which would have guaranteed electronic transmission of results shows that “the dilly-dallying of APC all the while in amending the Electoral Act is deliberate as they never wanted from inception to do anything that will deepen democracy in our country.’’

For Senator Enyinaya Abaribe, the ongoing debate over the matter is unfortunate.

He said, “The ruling party cannot be sure of continued leadership with this kind of approach. We should be able to win elections and win it clearly. Nigerians are taking note of the activities in the National Assembly. According to Abaribe, the division would allow Nigerians to know who is voting for what.

Similarly, spokesperson for the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, expressed dissatisfaction with the National Assembly.

He noted that, at this time and age, the casting of ballots, and ballot tabulation should not be done manually. Suleiman argued that the increasing adoption of digital technology in society and other areas of government to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability meant that, with technology, the same benefits can be delivered for elections in the country.

He said that some natural limitations such as digital literacy and access, ballot secrecy, authentication and verification cause security threats to voting procedures.

According to him, the unfolding scenario in the National Assembly, most especially in the House of Representatives, over discussions on the electronic voting transmission system was unfortunate, undesirable, and disgraceful.

Also, the Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State, Tony Ifeanya, challenged the National Assembly to do the right thing as representatives of people.

He pointed out that passing the bill without the collaboration of opposition lawmakers, and without clear harmonisation and input of PDP members was not a healthy development for democracy. “If there is network or not, they are just trying to escape from the reality so that they will manoeuvre.

“It’s a way of trying to ensure that they continue rigging. The opposition has a case,” he said. Also,a member of the House of Representatives from Benue State, Mark Gbilla, faulted the NCC on network and coverage issues in the electronic transmission of results.

Gbilla told one of our correspondents that it was unfortunate that a personality of the standing of the Executive Commissioner in charge of Technical Services of NCC, Maska Ubale, would ‘lie’ about the simple technical components required to transmit results electronically.

“When you talk about 3G, 2G, and LTE. These are technologies that have to do with the transmission with the internet or broadband. “Transmission of results does not have to be by broadband, and I am surprised that somebody, a professional in NCC does not know that difference.

“This USSD function just uses GSM network that is all we need, like text messages, SMS. That is all that we require to transmit a result. We do not need internet service. And we have more than 90 per cent coverage of that,” he said.

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Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State had also called on members of the National Assembly to enact laws regarding electronic transmission of votes during elections.
Tambuwal stressed that the lawmakers should leave a good legacy that would strengthen the nation’s democratic processes.

Tambuwal, the former Speaker of seventh House of Representatives, expressed his belief in the national interest to bequeath to the country an Electoral Act that would contribute to free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria, irrespective of party platform.

“I am not addressing you as Vice Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum or as chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, not even as a sitting governor. “It must be seen as a contribution from someone who has had varied experience as a legislator, a former Speaker, a sitting Governor and one who has been involved in leadership of political parties. “It is a credible, free and fair election that will ensure that voters decide any electoral contest”.

Recall that while 52 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the senate voted against the amendment in the controversial amendment, 28 senators from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), voted in favour of it. Amid the controversy, 28 senators, across the political divide, mainly from the South-East and South-West, were absent during the debate at the Upper Chamber.

The same scenario also played out in the House of Representatives where the lawmakers from the opposition PDP staged a walkout on their colleagues of the APC when it became obvious that the amendments in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the Electoral Act, which had earlier been passed by the Senate, would have no impact.

At the presentation of the Electoral Amendment Bill in 2020, electronic voting and transmission of results by electronic means using the November 6 Anambra State governorship election as the litmus test were canvassed by the various committees of the National Assembly and electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Specifically, the Chairman of the Committee on Electoral Matters in the House of Representatives, Aisha Dukku, while presenting the bill entitled, ‘Repeal of Electoral Act Number 6, 2010 and Enactment of the Electoral Act 2021, to Regulate the Conduct of Federal, State and Local Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory Elections and for Related Matters, had also emphasised the inclusion of card readers, as well as limitation of campaign funds by politicians in the amendment bill.

Don’t assent to PIB, Niger Delta stakeholders urge Buhari Meanwhile, stakeholders in the Niger Delta have urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to assent to the PIB with approval of three per cent for host communities.

They stated that the region deserved more funding to prevent tension in the region. Recall that the southern governors had earlier requested an upward review of what was contained in the draft bill and the positions of the National Assembly.

However, speaking on the three per cent approved by the National Assembly, a professor of economics at the University of Port-Harcourt, Okey Onuchuku, urged President Buhari to withhold assent and return the bill to the Assembly for upward review of the fund.

He said the allocated fund was too meagre, considering the environmental condition disturbing the oil-bearing and host communities in the region.
Onuchuku queried, “How can you determine or identify who is a host community when you have communities which are bearing oil and gas pipelines as well as those who suffer gas flaring? How can all these be determined?”

‘Blame past PDP govt for woes’

In a related development, previous governments of the country, particularly the PDP administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, as well as the then leadership of the National Assembly, are being blamed for not doing the right thing by not entrenching good electoral laws and passing the PIB and giving more to the host communities.

For instance, public affairs analysts, Emeka Madunagu and Asuquo James, blamed the past PDP political leaders for not doing the needful when they held sway in leadership positions.

For instance, Madunagu wondered why Senator Ike Ekweremadu, as the Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Amendment, under a majority PDP government, could not insert or canvass at least positions against defection, introduce electronic voting, and do anything that could bring integrity and transparency to the Nigerian electoral process, or do something about the PIB, “but are now crying foul over the same punishment meted to them by the APC.’’

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All hope not lost- Akpatason
The Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason, has stated that all hope is not lost over the passage of PIB, even with the allocated three per cent to host communities in the Niger Delta. Akpatason said they tried to convince their colleagues but met stiff resistance, adding that there was hope as the passage was not the end to the bill.