Electoral Act: Rejection of e-transmission shows FG not ready for credible polls — Obidients

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The political camp of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, popularly known as the Obidient Movement, has criticised the Senate for passing the Electoral Act amendment bill without approving electronic transmission of results, describing the move as a clear indication of the government’s lack of commitment to credible, free and fair elections despite the expectations of many Nigerians.

In a chat with Vanguard on Wednesday, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, said the failure to include electronic transmission of results casts doubt on the sincerity of the electoral reform process and leaves room for practices Nigerians have repeatedly rejected.

Although the Senate passed the Electoral Act amendment bill, it declined to approve the electronic transmission of results, a key reform widely seen as central to improving transparency and public trust in elections.

“That shows you that they are not yet ready for credible, free and fair elections,” Tanko said.

He said the decision means Nigerians must be prepared to resist what he described as flawed electoral processes across the country.

“So Nigerians should be ready to challenge these elections, headlong in all other preparation for any region,” he said.

Tanko stressed that electronic transmission of results remains critical to curbing manipulation associated with manual processes.

“Because the major thing about the electronic transmission of results is to eliminate human interference in the result collation process, unlike what is obtainable in the manual collation centres, where it can take place,” he said.

He maintained that the Senate’s action reflects the broader attitude of the government towards electoral credibility.

“So that means they are not ready. This is a pointer to show that this government is not ready for credible, free and fair elections.

“And Nigerians should be ready for a very strong fight, I mean a strong contestation to redeem our democracy,” he said.

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