From Victor Osula, Abuja
Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila
On a day that the Civil Society Organisations stormed the National Assembly to register their displeasure to the speculation that the clause on electronic voting had been secretly removed from the proposed Electoral Act, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has denied any such alteration in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, saying the reports were mere speculation.
Information emerged during the week that some sections and clauses in the new Electoral Act relating to electronic voting and transfer of results, has been secretly removed by unknown persons.
During their protest on Tuesday, the coalition of CSOs under the aegis of Alliance of Civil Society Organizations for Expression of Electoral and Democratic Space, expanded the scope of their demands besides electronic voting to include financial autonomy for INEC, protection of people with disabilities, in and gender sensitivity in the new Electoral Act.
The aggrieved protesters were armed with placards, with inscriptions such as, “SaveOurElections #
The concerns raised by the CSOs followed the sudden emergence of a strange Section 50(2) in the new draft of the Bill, which completely outlaws transmission of votes by electronic means.
The Bill is expected to be passed this week by both chambers of the National Assembly.
Gbajabiamila however made the disclosure on Tuesday while responding to a point on matters of privilege by Rep Ugouna Ozurigbo (APC-Imo) at plenary in Abuja.
Ozurigbo had claimed that he received information that the House Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Rep Aisha Duku (APC-Gombe) had altered the bill.
“A number of Nigerians, particularly in my constituency, have been calling me to express their concerns about possible alteration to the electoral bill.
“I am a member of the committee, I don’t know the information going around where they said that we carefully amended Section 50 sub-section 2 of the Electoral Bill.
“That the agreed electronically transmitted election results have been changed to become manually transmitted”, he said
Responding, Gbajabiamila said that the speculation was unfounded.
He said; “I really don’t want to speak on a report that has not yet been submitted to the House. I have asked the chairman of the committee and she said that nothing of such has been done,” ” he said.
According to him, the committee had been given an assignment that would be submitted to the House once the job is finished.
Gnajabiamila said that the report would be laid before the House proceeds on its recess on July 14.
The coalition of CSOs under the aegis of Alliance of Civil Society Organizations for Expression of Electoral and Democratic Space, had stormed the National Assembly on Tuesday, protesting exclusion of some provisions, such as electronic voting, financial autonomy for INEC, and protection of people with disabilities, in the new Electoral Act.
The aggrieved protesters were armed with placards, with inscriptions such as, “SaveOurElections #
The concerns raised by the CSOs followed the sudden emergence of a strange Section 50(2) in the new draft of the Bill, which completely outlaws transmission of votes by electronic means.
The Bill is expected to be passed this week by both chambers of the National Assembly.
