The Electronic Transmission Of Election Results In Nigeria Has Been Approved By The Country Senate

The electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria has been approved by the country's Senate

As requested by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigerian senate has finally approved electronic transmission of election results, overturning an earlier decision that had prohibited the commission from doing so.

At today's plenary session, the red chamber made the decision, stating that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sole authority to determine the manner in which election results are transmitted and that this may be done electronically when and where practicable.

In the wake of the commission's continued criticism of the House of Senate for limiting the commission's ability to carry out its full responsibilities, the commission has reached this new decision.

Remember that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced a new Electoral Act Amendment bill earlier this year, which gives the commission the authority to transmit election results electronically whenever and wherever possible.

The Senate, while considering the report on the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 in July, resisted this move and passed the electoral bill with an amendment clause requiring the commission to transmit results electronically only after receiving approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Assembly, which was subsequently repealed by the National Assembly.

The Senate, on the other hand, has overturned that decision and has repealed several of the commission's limiting provisions today.

the "Recommittal of Amended Clauses to a Bill for an Act to Repeal and Enact the Electoral Act, 2021," the title of the amendment bill. With effect from this date, the commission will have sole authority to transmit the results whenever and wherever it is practical.

"Subject to section 63 of this Act, voting at an election and transmitting results under this Act shall be conducted in accordance with the procedure determined by the Commission (INEC), which may include electronic voting."

Other affected clauses

It is not only electronic voting that is addressed by this new electoral bill amendment, but also the nomination of candidates by political parties.

Clause 87(1), which allows political parties to conduct primaries in either a direct or indirect manner, had previously been approved by the Senate. In the new version of the clause, it states: "A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Act shall hold direct primaries for all elective positions, which shall be monitored by the Commission."