On Thursday, members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate voted against electronic results transmission.
In Section 52(3) of the report, the Committee suggested that INEC “may communicate election results by electronic means where and when practicable.”
However, Sabi Abdullahi, an APC senator from Niger North, changed the section to read: “INEC may contemplate electronic collation of results if the Nigerian Communications Commission deems the national network coverage adequate and secure and the National Assembly approves it.”
Members of the Communications Committee had previously informed the house that the NCC had stated that only 43% of the country had effective telecoms coverage.
When conducting a voice vote, Senate President Ibrahim Lawan voted in favor of the proposal.
A disagreement arose, prompting Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe to call for a division, requiring an individual vote on the floor.
Lawan upheld Abaribe’s motion for a division and called for a vote.
At the completion of the poll, 88 senators had voted, with 28 senators absent.
The election result showed that 52 APC senators, including Kabiru Gaya, the chairman of the Senate INEC committee, voted against the panel’s recommendation, which grants the electoral umpire sole authority to evaluate whether electronic transmission of results is feasible.
On the floor, all members of the Peoples Democratic Party voted in favor of INEC transmitting results electronically without interference from the NCC or the National Assembly.
While voting against the amendment, APC members cited the NCC’s claim that just 43% of the country has network coverage as the reason for their decision.
The PDP senators, on the other hand, claimed that permitting the NCC and the National Assembly to engage in INEC’s operations would jeopardize the election’s integrity.