The Minority Caucus has clarified that the Senate approved the electronic transmission of election results from polling units in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, contrary to reports suggesting otherwise.
There were widespread reports that the Senate, on Wednesday, rejected a proposal seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to mandatorily transmit election results electronically.
However, addressing journalists at a press conference on Thursday, opposition lawmakers, including Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, dismissed the claims, insisting that the proposal was not rejected.
Speaking on behalf of the caucus, Senator Abaribe explained that what the Senate approved was the transmission—not the transfer—of election results.
“We felt it was necessary to clarify what happened yesterday in order to put the record straight,” Abaribe said. “The Senate did not pass the transfer of results, which was contained in the 2022 Act. What we passed was transmission of results.”
He stressed that lawmakers acted in trust for their constituents and aimed to ensure clarity in the law. According to him, the Senate went into a closed session to fine-tune the provisions to avoid confusion or misinterpretation.
“The reason we went into a closed session was to tidy up everything so that when we returned to plenary, the bill would be passed without rancor,” he said.
Abaribe added that the Senate’s electoral committee, ad-hoc committee, and the executive session were all in agreement on Section 63 of the amendment bill, which provides for electronic transmission of results.
“I can assure you that the electoral committee of the Senate, the ad hoc committee of the Senate, and the executive session that we had all agreed on Section 63, which is electronic transmission of results. We approved transmit, not transfer.
“We all agreed on electronic transmission of results. We approved transmission, not transfer,” he said. “What is in the 2022 Act is transfer, and we do not want a law that is vague or open to misinterpretation.”
He concluded that the Senate’s intention was to ensure a clear, concise, and unambiguous legal framework that supports credible elections through electronic transmission of results.
