Opposition Lawmakers Resist Changes to Electoral Act Transmission Clause
- 1 day ago
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The House of Representatives was thrown into heated debate on Tuesday as opposition lawmakers kicked against efforts to amend Clause 60 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The clause, earlier passed by the House, makes provision for the real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to a central viewing portal operated by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Tensions rose after the Committee on Electoral Matters proposed that the chamber reconsider its earlier approval of the clause following mounting pressure within the legislature.
Opposition members insisted that the original provision must stand, arguing that electronic transmission of results without conditions is critical to strengthening electoral transparency and public trust.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, however, sided with lawmakers from the ruling party who urged the House to align with the Senate’s version of the amendment.
The Senate had endorsed electronic transmission but included a caveat allowing manual transmission where real-time electronic transfer fails, a provision critics say could weaken the reform.
As arguments escalated, the session briefly descended into chaos, with opposition lawmakers chanting accusations against the ruling party, even as both chambers move to reconcile differences through a joint conference committee.
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