PDP vows to probe its Senators, Reps on role on Electronic Transmission of Election

… Differs with Supreme Court over Ondo guber judgement

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to
investigate the roles played by it’s members at the National Assembly during the voting exercise on the electronic transmission of election results.
The party said this at a press conference addressed yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.
The main opposition party, it will be recalled, had vigorously canvassed the use of technology to transmit election results, insisting that most of the controversies and falsification of election occur as a result of the human interface during the result collation at the local government and state collation centres.
However, most of its influential members stayed away on the day of the voting exercise.
Ologbondiyan, at yesterday’s press conference, disclosed that the party is set to meet with it’s caucus at the National Assembly to investigate the role of its members during the exercise.
According to him, “The Peoples Democratic Party is calling a meeting between the party and caucus in the National Assembly to review the participation of members in the legislative activity of the national Assembly as it concerns the voting on transmission of results”.0
Some of the PDP senators who stayed away during the voting exercise include: Former Deputy Senate President Sen. Ike Ekwewmmadu, Senator Uche Ekwunife, Senator Stella Oduah, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha, Senator Chimaroke Namani among others.
Senate, after the voting, retained an amendment by Sabi Abdullahi, senate deputy whip, who proposed that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) must certify that national coverage is adequate and secure, while the National Assembly must approve the recommendation before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can transmit election results electronically.
Senotor Albert Bassey who is representing Akwa Ibom north-east, kicked against the motion and said the initial proposal made by the committee should be retained.
A total of 28 Senators, all from the PDP, voted for the original amendment in the bill that INEC should make decisions on the electronic transmission of election results while 52 Senators, all from the APC, voted for the amendment as proposed by Senator Abdullahi.
Senator representing Anambra Central in the nation’s upper legislature, Senator Uche Ekwunife has given reasons for her absence during the voting for electronic results transmission.
The female Senator said she is fully in support of electronic transmission of election results, adding that her absence was because she had scheduled programmes in her constituency.
In another development, the PDP has kicked against the decision of the Supreme Court rejecting its appeal on the selection process of the APC governorship candidate in Ondo State, Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
The PDP, in a statement yesterday by Ologbondiyan said, “Once again we say thank you to the Supreme Court. However we insist and in line with the split decision of the Supreme Court Judgement that there is no way that Mai Mala Buni as Governor of Yobe state can also function as National Chairman of All Progressives Congress.
“That is totally am aberration of the doctrine and dictates as established in the All Progressives Congress constitution as well as 1999 constitution as amended. We insists that the process that led to the emergence of Gov. Akeredolu was and remains a violation of the APC constitution as well as the 1999 constitution.
“Section 183 of the 1999 constitution states that no governor should hold any other position in any capacity apart from the office of the governor. As you know, this was the major ground upon which we went to the Supreme Court”, the party said.