In a manner that was sufficiently self-indicting and far from being evocative of any painstaking commitment to the rigors of lawmaking, the Senate Thursday rejected Clause 52(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill which provided for electronic transfer of election results. The clause which led to the division of the chamber saw 52 Senators voting against the clause, 28 others were in support while 28 Senators were not available to vote, even though some of them were on the senate floor. Curiously, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who presided over the session, also abstained from voting. It was a rowdy session as the Senate became a theatre of the absurd. This is pathetic and unacceptable. The lamentation of an expectant public is loud: it is an embarrassment not only to Nigeria, but to democracy as a form of government. By this singular unpatriotic act, the Senators have embarrassed themselves and betrayed the trust of the Nigerian people. The least they can do to redeem themselves and the image of the red chamber is to allow INEC free reign to run elections by not hamstringing the electoral umpire. What happened in the Senate was an aberration, a complete desecration of democracy itself.
To well-meaning Nigerians, including the past chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the rejection of electronic transmission of election results even as the Bill allows for electronic voting, is the highest level of double standards and abuse of separation of powers clearly defined in the constitution. To the extent that the reasons advanced for the controversial decision is as unacceptable as the decision itself, this highlights the self-seeking motives of the lawmakers over and above the interest of their constituents and the country at large. To add insult to injury, the Senate proceeded on a two- month annual vacation shortly after. Senate leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, moved the motion for the upper chamber to proceed on annual vacation by adjourning plenary till Tuesday, September 14. The motion was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and under the cover of darkness; the “Sin-ators” left Abuja after betraying Nigerians.
The introduction of technology, including the electronic transmission of results by INEC was extolled by both the government and diverse stakeholders, including foreign diplomats as an important avenue towards enhancing transparency and credibility in the electoral process. This vector of credibility was apparent during the 2020 Edo state gubernatorial elections where results from polling stations were updated in real time and collated to the INEC election platform. In Edo and Ondo, INEC used electronic transmission of results to eliminate the shenanigans and potential of election officials to alter and fake results; which militated against the well-known practice of bribing returning officers at polling stations to circumvent the will of the people. The rejection of e-results is assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians, who already bear the brunt of poor leadership and bad governance, and all the 52 “Sin-ators” who voted to ban e-results should be voted out of office at the next election. It reeks of self-serving impunity when lawmakers enact and pass legislation that is clearly not in the public interest.
In point of fact and law, the Senate has no locus standi to interfere in the organization of elections by INEC; which even by its name, is supposed to be an independent body. In the reckoning of experts like Mrs. Idayat Hassan, Director of the Center for Democracy and Development, the Senate acted ultra vires when it decided to constitute itself into an oversight agency over INEC. The argument that because the broadband penetration in Nigeria is less than 50% and uneven across the country; voters in areas with no internet access will be disenfranchised is laughable and should attract no further comment. Even more ridiculous, is the claim that INEC can only introduce e-transmission of results when the whole country has equal broadband and internet access. These “sin-ators” must stop playing to the gallery by pretending not to understand the real state of telecommunications access in Nigeria. By the way, even the USA doesn’t have 100% broadband coverage and internet access across the whole country. The Senate must also realize that it neither has the capacity nor the authority to dabble into the internal affairs of INEC; and must not set a precedence that could come back to haunt Nigeria in future.
While the issue presents an interesting development in constitutional democracy, it is worth recalling that elections in Nigeria remain a captured process where the power of incumbency is deployed to gain unfair competitive advantage. How can you organize elections and lose some have even asked? Well, you lose when voters are allowed to decide who should represent them in a free, open and fair process without rancor and violence. Without e-transmission of results, a vast majority of the 8,809 collation centers will be forced to endure the undue interference from vested interests and return to do-or-die politics. This is unacceptable and those who submit to such egregious anti-democratic antics betray their lacking in vital attributes of political maturity and democratic engagement, and are unfit to hold public office. Nigerians must question the real intention of these lawmakers because the resulting escalating sequence of entropic political violence will turn political thuggery into instruments of electioneering and this will only give Nigerian democracy a bad name.
The political intrigues triggered by the controversial ban on e-transmission of results by the Senate are, of course, unfortunate. It is incumbent on all stakeholders concerned to bring sanity and reason to bear on this quasi-political and quasi-judicial problem. The disgraceful behavior in the hallowed chamber of supposedly honorable members of the Senate, clearly advertised their political immaturity. By getting into a shouting match and near fisticuffs over the simple matter of how to transmit election results, the lawmakers displayed the most embarrassing verdict on their poor democratic credentials. Political disagreements are a necessary part of democracy, but taking such differences to a level of insults and mouthing obscene bile and vitriol on the senate floor is not only unfortunate but also unacceptable. Lawmakers ought to be role models and a pride to their constituents. Indeed, not only does democracy suffer in the face of such antics as recorded in the Red Chamber, the sensibilities of the nation’s law-abiding citizens are assaulted.
Sadly, these “Sin-ators” have presented themselves more as political vampires than as gentlemen and exemplars of statesmanship who want the very best for the country. They need to cultivate a spirit of tolerance and understanding and the nation deserves a forward movement. Nigeria needs change and this includes a change of attitude by all. Constituents should also learn to exercise the power of recall as necessary when their representatives misbehave. The people should jealously protect their mandate and guard how it is executed on their behalf by their elected representatives. The circus over e-transmission of election results is one spectacle that has brought untold shame to the country but more importantly to each member of the senate. The headache this issue has unleashed on Nigerians must stop. And the earlier this madness stops the better for the nation.
