Opposition Lawmakers Insist on Electronic Transmission of Votes, Stage Walkout in House of Reps

The House of Representatives opposition members have rejected proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, insisting that elections must be concluded transparently and without any provisions that could create room for rigging or manipulation.

 

 

To register their position, the opposition members walked out of the chamber during Tuesday’s plenary and stormed the House press corps centre.

 

 

Addressing journalists, the lawmakers said their position was clear that any clause capable of creating “connotation for rigging or leeway for uncoordinated actions” must be removed from the bill.

 

 

The lawmakers who spoke through their leader, Rep Chinda Kingsley, stressed that the authority to determine critical electoral procedures should rest solely with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), without political interference.

 

 

On the issue of result transmission, the lawmakers maintained that in cases of conflict between manually collated results and electronically transmitted results, the electronically transmitted results should prevail immediately.

 

 

According to them, this would strengthen transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.

They alleged that their proposals were turned down by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), not on legal or procedural grounds, but along party lines.

 

 

“We believe Nigerians should stand with us to protect the integrity of the electoral process,” one of the lawmakers said, adding that further consultations would be carried out to rally public support.

 

 

The opposition also reiterated its stance on Section 84 of the Electoral Act, which deals with the mode of primary elections. They argued that political parties should be allowed to determine their preferred method of candidate selection — whether direct or indirect primaries — without being compelled by law to adopt a specific system.

 

 

According to them, internal party democracy would be better strengthened if parties are given the flexibility to choose the method that suits them.

 

 

They called on Nigerians to closely follow developments and support efforts aimed at ensuring credible elections and deepening democratic practices in the country.