Dr. Usman Bugaje, an Islamic scholar and political activist, has charged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate leadership have consistently undermined Nigeria’s democratic process by dishonesty and subpar legislative behavior.
Speaking Tuesday on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Bugaje reportedly defended the ongoing effort to change the Electoral Act following a Supreme Court decision.
He stated that the revision was now required in order to increase election openness and give clarity, especially through the requirement that results be transmitted electronically in real time.
“You see, this is exactly because of that Supreme Court decision that we now need to go back and amend the law for clarity, accuracy, and precision so that everyone will be clear,” Bugaje stated.
“The goal is to hold a transparent election, and the best way to do that is to ensure that the results are made available electronically, instantly, or in real time, so that everyone can see the precise distribution of votes.”
Bugaje stated that the House of Representatives has accepted the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recommendation to require real-time results broadcasting.
Nonetheless, he charged that the Senate was opposing the reform.
“INEC has even stated that real-time results transmission ought to be required. The Senate is constantly shown to be dishonest or deceiving people, but the House of Representatives has done just that,” he stated.
Charges of Legislative Errors
Additionally, the activist claimed that the Senate had a history of legislative failures, including disputes over budgetary procedures and tax laws, which he claimed caused uncertainty for economic planning and governance.
“After this amendment, it is one issue that we truly need to address. The Senate has already been observed dozing off or plagiarizing its primary duty of enacting laws, according to Bugaje.
Using the tax legislation, they have accomplished that. They achieved this by padding budgets, and as a result of the chaos they created, we currently have almost three budgets, none of which are truly operational. You are unsure of your true location.
“Therefore, companies are unable to plan since they are unsure of which budget will be funded and which will be implemented.”
Bugaje demanded more investigation of the Senate leadership’s activities, seeing it as a significant governance concern.
Thus, the Senate leadership in particular is currently the nation’s largest issue, and we must start to question their usefulness. “What is this reckless behavior?” he asked.
He also said that even after the Electoral Act change process, the topic would continue to be discussed nationally.
“So, after we’ve reviewed the amendment, we’ll need to address that,” Bugaje stated.
He emphasized that the country’s electorate was increasingly in favor of requiring the electronic broadcast of election results.
However, I believe there is a widespread belief that this required real-time transmission is what everyone wants and that it should be implemented, even among their fellow lawmakers in the House. “Nigerians aren’t prepared for anything less,” he stated.
