The Nigerian Senate has rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The amendment sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
The rejected provision would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the IREV in real-time, after the prescribed Form EC&A had been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by candidates.
Instead, the Senate adopted the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
The rejected provision would have required presiding officers to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time.
The development has reportedly come as a shock to many Nigerians who desire an amendment to the law.
National Post