By Christiana Ekpa
The National Assembly on Tuesday passed key amendments to the Electoral Act amid dramatic scenes both inside and outside the complex, as police fired teargas at protesters gathered at the main entrance and opposition lawmakers staged a walkout during plenary.
Earlier in the day, chaos erupted when security operatives dispersed hundreds of demonstrators who had converged on the National Assembly to protest the retention of a manual backup in the transmission of election results.
The protesters, mostly women, were seen scampering for safety as teargas canisters were fired. Two women, said to be about 50 and 22 years old, reportedly fainted from inhaling the fumes, while several others sustained minor injuries in the stampede.
Inside the chamber, proceedings turned tense as lawmakers debated clauses in the rescission and reconsideration of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Opposition Insists on Full Electronic Transmission
Addressing journalists after leading some members who were shunting “APC OLE” out of plenary, Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, said the opposition’s position remains that election results “shall and must be transmitted electronically” without any alternative that could create room for manipulation.
“Our position is clear: elections should be transmitted electronically. We are against any clause that gives room for rigging or any untoward act,” Chinda said.
He explained that the opposition proposed that where there is a conflict between manually collated results and electronically transmitted results, the electronic transmission should prevail. According to him, that proposal was rejected.
“We are aware that these positions were turned down, largely by members of the APC, not on grounds of logic but on political party configuration,” he alleged.
Chinda also faulted provisions relating to Section 84 on party primaries, insisting that political parties should be free to adopt direct, indirect or consensus primaries without being compelled by law to use a specific method.
“The method of selecting candidates should be an internal affair of political parties,” he added, noting that the walkout was meant to “register our position before Nigerians, the court of public opinion.”
House Spokesperson: Electronic Transmission Mandatory, Manual Backup a Failsafe
In a separate briefing, House Spokesperson, Hon. Akin Rotimi, described the day as “historic” and defended the legislative process that led to the passage of the bill.
He explained that both chambers had earlier set up a conference committee to harmonise their versions of the bill, but new considerations particularly in light of INEC’s timetable and public feedback necessitated an extraordinary session and a rescission of the earlier passage.
Rotimi clarified that the amended clause on result transmission makes electronic transmission from polling units mandatory, while the manual Form EC8A serves only as a backup in the event of technical failure.
“If results are transmitted electronically without issues, there is nothing to fear,” he said. “The proviso is simply a failsafe in case of IT infrastructure challenges. It is not meant to undermine electronic transmission.”
He urged Nigerians and the media to carefully study the wording of the clause, noting that the final draft was recrafted to safeguard the integrity of the process.
Addressing concerns over quorum and the opposition walkout, Rotimi said the House met constitutional requirements and that dissent and walkouts are part of normal parliamentary practice.
“The quest for free, fair and credible elections is not partisan. Both ruling and opposition members want credible elections. But in a democracy, the majority carries the day,” he said.
He added that the bill, having passed third reading, will be cleaned up and transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.
