“Nigerians want electronic transmission,” Sen Mark replies
By Okey Muogbo
It was a kind of firework on Saturday at a book launch as President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark exchanged words over the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, 2022 by the National Assembly.
Akpabio who spoke first warned opposition parties and others who were angered by rejection of electronic transmission of election results that nobody can intimidate the Senate.
Akpabio who was Special Guest of Honour at the first was visibly angry with those criticizing the Senate decision describing them as hasty saying “Nobody can intimidate the Senate,”
The occasion was the book launch of “The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria”, written by Senator Effiong Bob a former member of the upper Chambers.
He defended the Senate action saying transmission of election results realtime would be difficult given unreliable infrastructure.
He said if electricity or internet sepoints, are disrupted or unavailable at voting points, it meant that such elections would become void.
Akpabio described such lack of understanding of the Senate as one of the many burdens of legislators in Nigeria.
He was also of the opinion that work on the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 had not been completed before the criticisms began.
For instance, he said the votes and proceedings of the Senate on that decision had not been adopted and again, the House of Representatives has not taken a decision on the matter not to talk of harmonisation of the decisions of the two Chambers on the amendment.
However, Senator David Mark, a former President of the Senate in his speech told Akpabio that what Nigerians want was electronic transmission of election results,
” Give the people what they want and allow INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) on how to implement it,” Mark insisted.
The Author had mentioned in the Book other burdens of the legislators in Nigeria to include equating lawmakers with the Executive who have budgets to spend, accusations that lawmakers earn stupendous salaries and allowances and godfatherism which has placed Governors in position to pick who becomes a legislator.
