The conference committee set up by the National Assembly to harmonise versions of the Electoral Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives has concluded the exercise.
Both chambers may also reconvene for an emergency plenary to consider and adopt the report by the committee for onward transmission of the bill to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for assent.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, made this known on Friday night while featuring on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television which our correspondent monitored from Abuja.
The Senate had on October 12 passed a bill to rescind its earlier decision to subject the Independent National Electoral Commission to seek approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission before it can transmit elections results electronically.
The Senate had also voted in support of the conduct of party primaries only by direct method.
Earlier in July, the Senate had during consideration of a report on Electoral Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill 2021 amended Clause 52(3) as recommended by the Committee on INEC.
He said the Senate was afraid of INEC systems being hacked or the electorate being disenfranchised as a result of electronic voting and transmission of results, the reason why the lawmakers initially voted against it.
The Senate’s spokesman also disclosed that part of the decisions by the committee was to go beyond voter card reader use during elections.
“Now, the law, Section 43 now recognises other technological devices that could be used for the purposes of accreditation and identification of voters,” he said.
When asked when the harmonisation exercise would end, Basiru said, “The harmonisation, I can tell you, as of this (Friday) morning, the exercise has been completed and INEC’s representative, the Chairman (Prof Mahmood Yakubu) was there at the opening ceremony, and our partners globally. It was an open and transparent process.
“For now, we are on recess, working on the 2022 Appropriation Bill (budget defence sessions by committees). But because of the seriousness of the exercise, the recommendation of the harmonisations committee is to get the leadership to convene an emergency session.”
Also appearing on the programme, the National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Festus Okoye, expressed concerns over the burden that direct primary would place on the commission.
While the clause as presented by the committee in the report says INEC could transmit election results electronically where and when practicable, the Senate passed the amended version which says, “INEC can transmit election results electronically subject to confirmation of the NCC based on adequacy and security of national network.”
Both the Senate and the House are to set up a conference committee to harmonise the differences in the versions of the bill passed by the chambers.
Basiru, who is a member of the conference committee, however, disclosed some of the conclusions of the panel.