The Senate’s decision to reject the electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing reform of the Electoral Act has been denounced by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which calls it disgraceful, regrettable, and detrimental to democratic consolidation.
In a statement released on Tuesday by Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party’s national publicity secretary, the PDP said the Senate’s action came after what it called a deliberate and lengthy delay and that democratic-minded Nigerians had widely condemned the decision.
The party urged senators to always represent the interests of their constituents by reminding them that they were chosen as representatives of the people.
Nigerians in all 109 senatorial districts want electoral integrity, and the PDP claims that this may be better ensured by transmitting results electronically straight from polling places.
The statement said, “It is well known that most Nigerians want electoral sanctity, which is better guaranteed through the electronic transmission of votes from the polling units.”
The opposition party contended that the widespread manipulation of election results during manual collation would be lessened with electronic transmission.
The PDP declared, “We are all witnesses to the widespread practice of altering results either before or at the collation center.”
The party claims that rejecting electronic transmission upholds a system that permits politicians to sway results against the wishes of voters as reflected in the ballot.
The Senate’s ruling, according to the PDP, was a blatant sign that the National Assembly was unwilling to enact laws promoting democratic consolidation and election sanctity.
“This rejection shows unequivocally that the National Assembly is not prepared or willing to enact laws for democratic consolidation and electoral sanctity. According to the statement, “this is a sad day for electoral democracy.
The party urged the National Assembly to change its mind and approve the legislation allowing results to be transmitted electronically right away.
The PDP claims that authorizing electronic transmission is the bare minimum of change needed to rebuild public trust in the voting process.
The party said, “Voter apathy will be worse than what was witnessed in the last general election, without which this is the minimum amendment that can increase faith in the electoral process.”
Increasing voter indifference would be detrimental to democracy and national stability, the PDP stated.
