ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS: IPAC COMMENDS SENATE FOR REVERSING ITSELF, SAYS IT IS VICTORY FOR DEMOCRACY

October 13, 2021October 13, 2021 National 0 Comments

By Ogundele Olanrewaju

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) commends the Senate for reversing itself on electronic transmission of results. It is victory for democracy and progressive governance in Nigeria.

It will also go a long way in deepening the nation’s political process critical for inclusive, free, fair, credible, transparent and generally acceptable
elections.

IPAC as the umbrella body of the 18 registered political parties in Nigeria has been in the vanguard for the use of electronic voting and transmission of results during elections, and strongly opposed its rejection by the Senate on 15th July 2021, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had assured the nation that the commission had the capacity to transmit results electronically across the country.

To undermine INEC’s independence on election matters by seeking the approval of the National Communication Commission (NCC) and the National Assembly before the electoral umpire could adopt electronic transmission of results was a slap on our democracy.

Council commends the Senate for listening to IPAC and Nigerians who rejected its ill conceived position on the matter. Reversing itself is a giant step forward in making Nigeria a great arsenal of democracy in Africa. Manipulation of election results, ballot box snatching, violence, vote buying and selling are the bane of the nation’s electoral process. Political parties have been deregistered for failure to win legislative seats among others when the electoral process is grossly flawed making it difficult for new parties not in government to win elections. With electronic transmission of results, each vote will now count and be counted in the overall result. The ballot is sacrosanct, the mandate of the people must be respected. Election is the beauty of democracy. We will keep improving till we get it right as obtainable in advanced democracies.

IPAC will continue to intervene on critical national issues as we jointly strengthen the nation’s frail democracy.