Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, a senator from the Ebonyi North Senatorial District, claims that the National Assembly’s most recent revision to the Electoral Act has essentially sealed the gaps that allowed for electoral fraud in the past.
Nwaebonyi stated on Wednesday on ARISE Television that the new legislative framework requires the electronic transmission of election results, emphasizing that the updated law now has more weight than the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) previous guidance.
The politician, who led the Senate’s stance on the amendment, stated that under the new structure, “nobody can rig election in Nigeria.”
He claims that the main difference between the most recent revision and the 2022 Electoral Act is that the latter now allows for the electronic transmission of results.
“This time, the National Assembly has inserted it into our law, which is the difference between the Electoral Act of 2022 and what we are doing now, and which will make the court’s decision different from what happened in INEC versus Atiku, which is a very popular case, as far as this electronic transmission of votes are concerned,” the lawmaker stated.
He clarified that the provision is mandatory according to the amendment’s wording.
Additionally, the word “shall” rather than “may” is used. That’s the distinction,” he continued.
Nwaebonyi further contended that any contradictory INEC operational rules, such as those pertaining to the use of the Result Viewing Portal (IREV), will be superseded by the new Electoral Act.
Furthermore, the INEC guideline is superseded by the Electoral Act. The Act is a parliamentary act in the event that it conflicts with the guidelines. The guideline is an agency guideline. Thus, the guideline is superseded by the Electoral Act,” the senator stated.
According to the Ebonyi member, the amendment will radically alter the legal framework that would be used to decide future election disputes, especially those involving the electronic transmission of results.
He declared, “There is no way for anyone to rig an election in Nigeria now that we have taken these actions.”
However, he pointed out that political players and stakeholders’ attention to detail would be crucial to the reform’s success.
The senator went on to say, “All that is needed is for all political players to have their eyes on the ball.”
Following public outcry about previous revisions to the Electoral Act, particularly rules on the transmission of election results and the condition of INEC’s IREV portal, the Senate met again in an emergency session on Tuesday.
