By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, on Monday, urged the National Assembly not to block electronic transmission of results in the ongoing Electoral Act Amendment process.
The CSOs, at a roundtable meeting that was organized by electoral stakeholders in conjunction with the European Union, EU, in Abuja, described the electronic transmission of results as key to credible elections in Nigeria.
They were unanimous in their position that it would not only enhance transparency in the electoral process but equally boost the confidence of electorates.
According to the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, a nonprofit organization that works to strengthen democratic governance in the country, there is a need to improve the processes for collation and transmission of election results. PLAC, through its Executive Director, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, urged the NASS to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to enhance the electoral process in the country through the use of technology.
He said: “We believe that there is an important need for the electoral process to be transparent, for there to be improvements and for the use of technology to reflect the need to achieve credible elections.
“And so, collation of results, transmission of results, if technology can assist this to be better, then I think that that is the way the National Assembly should go.
And I think that is the position of a lot of election stakeholders. “So I am not familiar with the suggestions being put out there that the National Assembly is blocking the electronic transmission of results.
“My sense is that everyone wants to see technology better used. In the beginning, if we are going to have credible elections in 2023, then the process of elections that gives the Electoral Commission the powers to respond to the best needs of transparency in the electoral process, is important to follow.
“I have made the point that electronic transmission of results is really key to an electoral process that everyone finds credible or finds useful.
“So hopefully, the National Assembly is going to be able to take the report of its joint committee and be able to take that forward as they put it to vote in the coming days”, Nwankwo added.
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Likewise, the Executive Director of Albino Foundation, Mr. Jake Epelle, while canvassing the representation of persons with disabilities through electoral reform, disclosed that CSOs have engaged former heads of state to push for electronic transmission of the election results in 2023.
He said: “As we speak, we are still advocating for the inclusion of that in the Electoral Act. Let us therefore not preempt until we see the current effort tabled for third reading and passage at the National Assembly.
“Efforts are underway, including former heads of state are being recruited to help us push that at the National Assembly.
“So we cannot say for sure that it is not there until we see the final thing. There has been a lot of hullabaloo between the House of Reps and the Senate.
These people will say they want that and the other will say we want that to be removed. So we don’t want to be caught in the middle.
“We want to ensure that our agitations are truly reflected in what comes out at the end of the day, without exaggeration.
“We want to make sure that what we are advocating for will see the light at the end of the day”, he added.
Meanwhile, in her goodwill message at the event, the Chairman of the House of Reps Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aishatu Dukku said the NASS was committed to improving the electoral legal framework in the country.
“There is no contrary view to the fact that ensuring that all eligible voters can and do participate in the electoral process without unfair barriers is a core component of delivering an inclusive election.
“That is an electoral process in which all eligible voters have the opportunity to elect their representative, which is central to democracy.
“It is worthy of note that electoral processes and the right to equal political participation may be regulated at different levels, including through constitution, electoral laws, regulations, directives, and other legal instruments”, she added.