Senate yesterday, rejected the adoption of electronic voting system by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the 2015 general elections in its effort to amend some sections of the 2010 Electoral Act.
Deliberating on three consolidated “Bills for an Act to amend 2010 Electoral Act and provide for the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Appopintment of INEC’s secretary, Power to issue duplicate voters card, determine voting procedure and for other related matters 2014; Electoral Act No.6 of 2010 to provide for the holding of elections on the same day and for other matters there in and Bill to amend the Electoral Act 2010 and other matters connected,” the senators unanimously rejected the application of electronic voting in next year’s elections.
It also rejected the conduct of all elections in one day. The lawmakers also moved to strip INEC Chairman of the powers to appoint the Secretary of the Commission.
Instead, the Senate unanimously canvassed that the appointment of the Secretary of the Commission should be done by the President who appoints the Chairman and Commissioners of INEC.
In his lead debate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, whose bill sought to remove the powers to appoint the INEC Executive Secretary from the commission’s Chairman, was contained in the new Bill which scaled the second reading in the Senate, explained that the amendment was to provide for a renewable tenure of four years for the position of INEC Secretary, adding that the Extant Act only empowered the Commission to appoint a secretary without stating how long such person can remain in office.
He also stated that Section 52 of the Electoral Act 2010 prohibits the use of electronic voting by INEC, adding that, “While we appreciate the challenges of the use of electronic voting system in our infrastructure-deficit environment, the Bill seeks to grant the Commission the latitude to use electronic voting system when it is ready with the appropriate capacity and technology to do so.”
Ekweremadu said that it had been observed that lack of time had remained a very strong excuse for not doing certain things right which its cumulative effect undermined the credibility of elections and electoral process and that the Bill intended to increase the number of days provided for INEC.
Concerning the bill seeking to increase the number of days, including the conduct of rerun election from seven to 21 days, he pointed out that it had constitutional implications.
The bill recommended that INEC should receive and treat applications for transfer of voters’ card from 30 to 60 days as well as receive and treat applications for duplicate voters’ card from 30 to 60 days.
But Senator Abu Ibrahim, APC, Katsina South, canvassed the holding of elections on the same day, accreditation of voters by electronic means and power on INEC to cause a debate to be conducted for candidates contesting the presidential race.
The lawmaker argued that his proposals were not only revolutionary but also in line with the global impetus for election reform, adding that the import of the amendment, which the Bill proposes in Section 25(1) of the Electoral Act of No. 6 of 2010, was for holding elections the same day.
In his contribution, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South, faulted the powers given to the INEC Chairman on the appointment of the Secretary of the Commission and suggested that the same power given to the President to appoint the Chairman and Commissioners should also be given to him to appoint the Secretary.
Abaribe also supported the idea of using electronic voting but pointed out that INEC had once complained that it lacked the capacity to hold elections on the same day.
After the contributions of the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, Senators Ahmed Lawan and Ayogu Eze on the issue, Senate President David Mark stated that it was the capacity of INEC to do a free and fair election with minimal logistical problems that would make the difference.
He said, “Whether we can do all the elections in one day or just one election. If the materials don’t show up, then whether it’s one election or all the elections, it becomes meaningless. I think what we want to do is ask INEC and then from their own experience gradually begin to do elections that would be credible and accepted by both the losers and the winners.
“Why should voters come and first do accreditation and then sit down there. Why can’t they do accreditation, vote and then go away? Because by doing so, you decongest the area, and people can go and do other things. Most people don’t come for election because they don’t want to devote the whole day to it,” he said.
Mark referred the consolidated Bills to the Committee on the Review of the Constitution and INEC for further action.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
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