Cancel elections without electronic results, Okonkwo urges Senate

Kenneth Okonkwo of the African Democratic Congress has asked the Senate to remove all provisions that allow manual transmission of election results and to cancel any election where results are not transmitted electronically from polling units.

Okonkwo spoke during a television programme on Tuesday while reacting to the recent amendments to the Electoral Act.

He said election results should be sent directly from polling units to prevent manipulation and ensure that polling officials remain at their duty posts until results are properly transmitted.

He argued that elections should not stand if electronic transmission fails, adding that the entire voting process is meaningless if it ends with doubtful results.

According to him, allowing results that cannot be transmitted electronically only gives room for electoral wrongdoing and weakens public trust in elections.

Okonkwo linked Nigeria’s slow development to repeated problems with elections, saying credible polls are the foundation of true democracy.

He stated that democracy belongs to the people and not to any political party, whether in government or opposition, and urged citizens to defend the democratic process.

His comments followed the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill last week, during which lawmakers rejected real-time electronic transmission of results and retained provisions giving the Independent National Electoral Commission discretion over how results are transmitted.

The decision triggered public backlash, protests at the National Assembly, and criticism from opposition figures who warned that the move could affect the credibility of future elections.

In response, the Senate reviewed its position on Tuesday and approved electronic transmission of results but removed the real-time requirement.

Lawmakers also agreed that where network issues occur, the manual result sheet, Form EC8A, would be used for collation.

An emergency plenary session later set up a committee to harmonise the Senate’s version of the bill with that passed by the House of Representatives following public pressure over the amendments.