The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denounced as disgraceful, regrettable, and detrimental to democratic consolidation the Senate’s decision to reject the electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing reform of the Electoral Act.
Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party’s national publicity secretary, said in a statement released on Tuesday that the Senate’s action came after what it called a deliberate and lengthy delay and that the decision had been widely condemned by Nigerians who value democracy.
The party urged senators to always represent the interests of their constituents and reminded them that they were chosen as representatives of the people.
In the 109 senatorial districts, Nigerians want voting integrity, which the PDP claims can be better ensured by transmitting results electronically straight from polling places.
The statement stated that “it is well known that most Nigerians want electoral sanctity, which is better guaranteed through the electronic transmission of votes from the polling units.”
Electronic transmission, according to the opposing party, would help stop the common manipulation of election results during manual collation.
The PDP stated, “We are all witnesses to the widespread practice of altering results before they get to the collation center or at the collation center.”
The party claims that rejecting electronic transmission upholds a system that permits politicians to sway results against the wishes of voters as represented on the ballot.
The Senate’s ruling, according to the PDP, was a blatant sign that the National Assembly was unwilling to pass laws promoting democratic consolidation and election sanctity.
“The National Assembly’s unwillingness or inability to enact legislation for election sanctity and democratic consolidation is evident in this refusal. It is a depressing day for electoral democracy, the statement said.
The National Assembly was urged by the party to change its mind and approve the amendment that would allow results to be transmitted electronically right away.
The PDP claims that authorizing electronic transmission is the bare minimum of reform necessary to rebuild public trust in the voting process.
The party said, “This is the minimal amendment that can boost confidence in the electoral process, without which voter apathy will be worse than what was witnessed in the last general election.”
The PDP pointed out that democracy and national stability would be at risk if voter apathy increased.
