Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Education Minister, on Tuesday took a swipe at the Nigerian Senate over the reviewed amendment to the electoral bill on the controversial electronic transmission of results, which she noted created a loophole for rigging in 2027.
The former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa described it as “an insult on the collective intelligence of Nigerians.”
Writing on her X handle Tuesday morning, Ezekwesili said, “That cock-eyed provision on Electoral Transmission that the @NGRSenate just passed is an insult on the collective intelligence of Nigerians”.
She said, “In a functioning democracy, the Elected can NEVER be greater than the Collective Will of those who elected them. Never.”
Newsmata.com.ng reports that the Nigerian Senate had on Tuesday at an emergency plenary following public backlash, amended the Electoral Act, altering Section 60 to mandate electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal, albeit with a proviso that manual result sheets shall be used where electronic transmission failed.
Ezekwesili however accused the Godswill Akpabio Senate leadership of attempting to manipulate future elections, warning, “The Senate President and his collaborators are brazenly giving Nigerians a heads-up that our votes will not count because that vexing clause they passed is their loophole to RIG the 2027 elections.”
Conversely, Ezekwesili applauded the Nigerian House of Representatives for passing a legislation that would ensure transparency in election results.
“Again, kudos to the lawmakers @HouseNGR that boldly passed a Bill which legally mandates electronic transmission of polling units results in real time with this simple and HONEST text,” she noted.
She highlighted Clause 60(3) of the bill, which states: “INEC shall electronically transmit election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal in real time and such transmission shall be done simultaneously with the physical collation of results.”
Ezekwesili praised the House for aligning with citizens’ demand for transparency, saying, “We salute our members of the Nigerian House of Representatives for totally aligning with the Citizens’ quest for Electoral Transparency.”
Calling out the Senate, she questioned its readiness to meet public expectations, positing that, “The REAL-TIME question is whether the Akpabio-led Senate is ready for the Nigerians who have run out of patience with their shenanigans. The answer is in the hands of the Senators. It is not wise to play with fire.”
Under the revised provision, presiding officers at polling units are required to electronically transmit results to the IReV portal after the completion of voting.
Discerning minds are however raising eye brows that the amendment may have created a loophole for possible manipulation with the provision that where electronic transmission was unsuccessful due to communication or network failure, the manual result sheet, Form EC8A, shall become the primary basis for collation and declaration of results.
While putting the motion to a vote, Senator Akpabio insisted that lawmakers who opposed the amendment should formally move a counter motion.
Akpabio’s comments justifying the initial amendment and some lawmakers’ triggered widespread outrage and street protests by Nigerians, including the former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, civil society groups, among others, who accuse the National Assembly of deliberately weakening the Electoral Act to undermine credible elections.