In a critical moment for Nigerian democracy, fifteen senators stood their ground against the Senate’s decision to keep a manual backup option for transmitting election results.
This showdown unfolded during a pivotal meeting on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, where Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe passionately argued for a more robust system. He insisted that election results should be transmitted in real time, without exceptions, rejecting the idea that manual transmission should be an option due to network failures.
After a brief standoff and a closed-door session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio rallied the lawmakers to a vote, declaring, “This is democracy in action.” As senators rose to express their positions, the outcome quickly became clear: 55 voted to retain the manual fallback option, while 15 champions of change pushed for mandatory electronic transmission.
Here’s the list of the fearless fifteen who advocated for real-time transmission of results:
– **Enyinnaya Abaribe** (ADC, Abia South)
– **Abdul Ningi** (PDP, Bauchi Central)
– **Aminu Tambuwal** (PDP, Sokoto South)
– **Ireti Kingibe** (ADC, FCT)
– **Seriake Dickson** (PDP, Bayelsa West)
– **Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan** (PDP, Kogi Central)
– **Onawo Ogwoshi** (ADC, Nasarawa South)
– **Tony Nwoye** (LP, Anambra North)
– **Victor Umeh** (APGA, Anambra Central)
– **Ibrahim Dankwambo** (PDP, Gombe Central)
– **Austin Akobundu** (PDP, Abia Central)
– **Khalid Mustapha** (PDP, Kaduna North)
– **Sikayo Yaro** (PDP, Gombe South)
– **Emmanuel Nwachukwu** (APGA, Anambra South)
– **Peter Jiya** (PDP, Niger South)
Despite their valiant efforts, the Senate stood firm in its support for using manually signed result sheets as the primary source of election results when faced with network issues. This vote underscores the ongoing debate surrounding the integrity and transparency of Nigeria’s electoral process, leaving citizens to ponder the implications for future elections.
