Senator Victor Umeh, who represents Anambra Central, says more than 85 percent of senators supported the electronic transmission of election results during deliberations on amendments to the Electoral Act. He spoke after the Senate on Wednesday retained the provision for electronic transmission as contained in the Electoral Act 2022.
The Senate, however, rejected proposals for real-time transmission of results and a ten-year ban on vote buying, opting to retain existing penalties of fines or jail terms. The clarification followed public criticism after reports suggested lawmakers had rejected electronic transmission entirely.
Speaking in a TV interview monitored by Radio Now’s Newsdesk, Senator Umeh said claims that the Senate expunged electronic transmission misrepresented its decision. He said the amendment followed extensive consultations, public hearings and legislative reviews across the country.
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Umeh said the only change agreed to was the removal of the phrase “real-time” from Clause 60, citing concerns over possible technical delays. He added that polling unit results would still be transmitted electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s result viewing portal, IReV.
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