Senators Allegedly Influence Removal of Real-Time Electronic Transmission Provision from Electoral Bill

According to a source, three unnamed senators from the southern region reportedly pressured Senator Godswill Akpabio to eliminate the real-time electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Bill just before its passage. Initially, the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, had included the provision in the bill.

However, during deliberations, the provision was removed, altering the final version of the bill. The provision sought to compel the President to direct INEC to upload poll unit results in real-time to a public portal.

Despite criticisms, the amendment was rejected. Following this development, the Senate was forced to reconvene for an emergency plenary session.

The incident has sparked controversy and calls for transparency in the electoral process.