Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has criticised the Senate over its rejection of mandatory real time electronic transmission of election results. She joined protesters at the National Assembly on Tuesday, insisting that lawmakers must ensure full transparency in the electoral process.
On February 4, the Senate passed an amendment to the Electoral Act, reducing the timeline for the Independent National Electoral Commission to publish notice of election results from 360 days to 180 days. However, the upper chamber had ruled out compulsory real time electronic transmission of results.
Speaking at the protest ground, Ezekwesili described the Senate’s position as ambiguous, warning against granting discretionary powers on electronic transmission instead of making it mandatory, stressing that every vote must count.
Also Read: House of Representatives Moves to Make Voting Mandatory in Nigeria(Opens in a new browser tab)
She maintained that compulsory real time transmission is critical to electoral integrity and would prevent controversies linked to polling unit result sheets in past elections. Ezekwesili also accused lawmakers opposing the clause of undermining democracy and weakening electoral transparency.
Leave feedback about this
You must be logged in to post a comment.