Senate Did Not Reject Electronic Transmission Of Results — Abaribe

The Senate Minority Caucus has declared that the Senate did not reject the electronic transmission of election results before the leadership passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, contrary to widespread media reports.

The clarification yesterday came barely 24 hours after the Upper Chamber came under fire on Wednesday following reports that the lawmakers rejected proposals for the electronic transmission of election results and a 10-year ban on vote-buying and other electoral offenders.

Shortly after the report went viral, Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed the claims as misleading.

Akpabio also maintained that the legislators retained electronic transfer as provided under the 2022 Electoral Act, a distinction he said was necessary to avoid legal and operational ambiguities.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, former Senate minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the caucus was compelled to address what he described as a widespread misunderstanding of proceedings at Wednesday’s plenary.

“Since yesterday, the media has been awash with reports suggesting that the Senate rejected the electronic transmission of election results. That is not correct,” Abaribe said.

“To put the record straight, the Senate did not — I repeat, did not — reject electronic transmission of results as provided for in the 2022 Electoral Act,” he said.

Abaribe explained that what the Senate passed was the electronic transmission of results, a position he said, was also clarified by the Senate President during plenary.

He stressed that senators hold public trust, derived from the confidence reposed in them by their respective constituencies, and added that the caucus considered it necessary to address the issue in the interest of transparency.

“We came here under the trust of our senatorial districts. When it appears that our actions have been misunderstood, it becomes necessary to clarify exactly what happened,” he said.

Abaribe outlined the legislative process that led to the decision, beginning with the Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Electoral Matters.

According to him, the joint committee held several retreats within and outside Abuja, with the participation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and civil society organisations.

“At the end of those retreats, everyone agreed that electronic transmission of results was the way to go. That position was reflected in the reports presented to both chambers,” he said.

He noted that the process also involved extensive debates, public hearings, and consultations, and described the electronic transmission of results as a core, non-negotiable provision.

Following the submission of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters’ report, Abaribe said an Ad hoc Committee was constituted to further review the report.

The committee, chaired by Senator Sadiq Umar, presented its findings, which were deliberated upon during a closed-door session.

“The closed session was held to tidy up all outstanding issues so that when we returned to plenary, the bill could be passed without rancour,” he explained.

According to him, the Senate Electoral Committee, Ad-Hoc Committee, and senators at the executive session unanimously agreed on the provision for electronic transmission of results, as contained in Section 65 of the bill.

“At plenary yesterday (Wednesday), we passed the electronic transmission of results. However, because of movement and noise in the chamber, it appeared to some that something went wrong,” he said.

Abaribe added that senators later sought confirmation and were reassured, noting that video records also show the Senate President affirming that the electronic transmission of results had been passed.