Nigerian Senator Criticized for Electoral Act Amendment Undermining Democracy

Okonkwo, a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticized the Nigerian Senate's Electoral Act Amendment, accusing senators of undermining Nigeria's democratic process. He expressed concerns about the amendment's provision allowing manual collation of election results when electronic transmission is deemed impossible.

Okonkwo specifically criticized Senator Moham Monguno's proposal to provide a manual form (EC8A) for collating results when electronic transmission fails, arguing that this weakens the intent of electronic transmission. He warned that such amendments could legitimize technical glitches during elections, citing the reported failure of electronic transmission in the 2023 presidential polls.

Okonkwo highlighted existing provisions in the Electoral Act regarding the use of a biometric voter accreditation system and cautioned against allowing manual result collation, which could undermine the credibility of elections. The Senate, during an emergency plenary session, explained that the amendment requires polling units to electronically transmit election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission's portal using Form EC8A, signed and stamped.

Senator Akpabio was also mentioned in the report.