Electoral Act Amendment Not Yet Complete – Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed criticisms trailing the Senate’s amendment of the Electoral Act, saying commentators and civil society actors were misjudging the legislature based on an incomplete legislative process and misunderstanding of parliamentary procedures.

Akpabio spoke in Abuja as special guest of honour at the unveiling of a book, “The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria”, authored by Senator Effiong Bob in Abuja.

Speaking on the controversy surrounding the removal of the phrase “real-time” electronic transmission of election results, Akpabio said the Senate had not concluded work on the bill and that public debate was premature.

“The Electoral Act amendment is incomplete. We have not completed it, but they are already on television. They don’t understand lawmaking.

“They don’t even know that what is in the Senate is not completed until we look at the Votes and Proceedings,” he said.

Akpabio explained that the Votes and Proceedings stage allows senators to correct, amend, or clarify decisions taken on the floor before final approval, stressing that only after that process could the Senate’s position be considered final.

“When we bring out the Votes and Proceedings, any senator has a right to rise and say, ‘On clause three, this was what we agreed upon.’ That is the only time you can talk about what the Senate has done or not done,” he said.

He criticised commentators for what he described as “abuse” of the legislature, accusing some civil society actors of attempting to impose their views on lawmakers.

“People have become mouth legislators. Go and contest election if you want to talk about lawmaking and go and join them and make the law. Retreats are not lawmaking; retreats are part of consultations. So why do you think that the paper you agreed in Lagos during a retreat must be what is agreed on the floor?” he asked.

Akpabio insisted that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission of election results, clarifying that lawmakers only questioned the requirement for real-time transmission.