Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should determine when to use the electoral transmission of results.
“Personally, I feel we should leave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to handle and decide when or where to utilise the electronic transmission, not the principle of it,” he said during an interview on Channels Television’s Newsnight which aired on Monday.
The National Assembly had on July 15 deliberated extensively on the Electoral Amendment Bill with the House of Representatives passing the bill moments after opposition lawmakers walked out of the heated session.
While the House passed the majority of the 158 clauses of the bill intact including Clause 52 (2), the Senate only approved the conditional electronic transmission of electoral results and voted publicly along party lines over section 52(3) of the electoral act amendment bill, which deals with electronic transmission of poll results.
READ ALSO
Reps Pass Electoral Act Amendment Bill After Opposition Lawmakers Walk Out
Senate Approves Conditional Electronic Transmission Of Electoral Results
Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, said the drama that trailed the passage of the bill before the parliament was unnecessary.
“I feel that the hullabaloo around this could have been avoided partly because I feel it is something that we must not over-regulate, particularly the activities of an independent commission.
“If I have the opportunity to have been asked, I would have actually argued strongly that we leave this matter for the electoral commission to handle rather than micro-manage the commission or bringing the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) as the final arbitral on what happens to the electoral commission,” the former Mines Minister added.
