The senate has finally passed the electoral act amendment
bill.
The bill was passed for third reading after Kabiru Gaya,
chairman of the senate committee on the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), presented a report at plenary on Thursday.
The contentious issues in the legislation are the
transmission of election results electronically and spending limits for
candidates of political parties.
The legislation is seeking to repeal and re-enact the 2010
electoral act which has been under consideration for years.
The national assembly blocked the
transmission of election results through electronic means in clause 50(2) of
the bill.
The action by the national assembly drew criticism from many
Nigerians, and after the outrage, the federal lawmakers restored the electronic
transmission clause.
During the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, Sabi Abdullahi, deputy senate whip, proposed that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) must certify that national coverage is adequate and secure while the national assembly must approve before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can transmit election results.
But Albert Bassey, senator representing Akwa Ibom
north-east, kicked against the idea and said the initial proposal made by the
committee should be retained.
“The commission may transmit results of elections by
electronic means where and when practicable,” section 50(3) of the report
reads.
After a rowdy session and using a “division” voting method,
the senate eventually retained Abdullahi’s amendment after a 52-28 vote.
The remaining 28 legislators were absent.
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