Former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has dismissed widespread reports claiming that the National Assembly rejected the electronic transmission of election results while considering amendments to the Electoral Act.
Abaribe spoke barely 24 hours after the Senate faced criticism following reports that lawmakers had voted against electronic transmission of results and a proposed 10-year ban on vote buyers and other electoral offenders.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, the senator said the clarification was necessary to correct what he described as a widespread misunderstanding of proceedings during Wednesday’s plenary session.
He explained that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission of results, stressing that the provision remains intact as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.
“Since yesterday, the media has been awash with reports suggesting that the Senate rejected the electronic transmission of election results. That is not correct,” Abaribe said.
“To put the record straight, the Senate did not I repeat, did not reject electronic transmission of results as provided for in the 2022 Electoral Act.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had earlier dismissed the reports as misleading, stating that lawmakers retained electronic transmission as provided under existing electoral law.
Abaribe said senators felt compelled to address the issue in the interest of transparency, noting that they hold public trust derived from the mandates given to them by their respective constituencies.
“We came here under the trust of our senatorial districts. When it appears that our actions have been misunderstood, it becomes necessary to clarify exactly what happened,” he said.
The former Senate Minority Leader explained that the legislative process began with a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on electoral matters.
According to him, the joint committee held several retreats within and outside Abuja, with the participation of the Independent National Electoral Commission and civil society organisations.
“At the end of those retreats, everyone agreed that electronic transmission of results was the way to go. That position was reflected in the reports presented to both chambers,” he said.
He noted that the process also involved extensive debates, public hearings and consultations, describing electronic transmission of results as a core and non-negotiable provision.
Following the submission of the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Abaribe said an ad hoc committee was constituted to further review the document.
The ad hoc committee, chaired by Senator Sadiq Umar, later presented its findings, which were deliberated upon during a closed-door executive session.
“The closed session was held to resolve outstanding issues so that when we returned to plenary, the bill could be passed without rancour,” he said.
Abaribe stated that the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, the ad hoc committee and senators at the executive session unanimously agreed on the provision for electronic transmission of results as contained in Section 65 of the bill.
“At plenary, we passed the electronic transmission of results. However, because of movement and noise in the chamber, it appeared to some that something went wrong,” he explained.
He dismissed claims that any clause supporting electronic transmission was removed at any stage of the Senate process.
“There was no going backwards,” Abaribe said. “As the Senate President reiterated, we are not going backwards; rather, we are going home.”
He added that confusion during plenary prompted some senators to seek clarification after the session.
“We went back individually to confirm exactly what was done, and we were reassured,” he said. “The Senate President himself confirmed and the videos are there that we passed electronic transmission of results.”
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On the next steps, Abaribe said a harmonisation committee had been set up to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill, stressing that the legislative process was still ongoing.
He assured Nigerians that lawmakers would insist on retaining the electronic transmission provision throughout the harmonisation process.
“After we pass the Votes and Proceedings, we will insist and ensure that what we passed electronic transmission of results remains in the final document,” he said.
Abaribe explained that harmonisation involves adopting either the Senate or House version of disputed clauses before forwarding a single harmonised bill for presidential assent.
He said the clarification was aimed at reassuring Nigerians that the Senate remains committed to credible, transparent and technology-driven elections.
