By Obinna Uballa
The Senate has scheduled an emergency plenary sitting for Tuesday, February 10, amid mounting controversy over its handling of electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
In a notice issued on Sunday, Emmanuel Odo, Clerk of the Senate, said the session was convened on the directive of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
According to the notice, the emergency sitting will take place at 12 noon in the Senate chamber.
“I am directed by His Excellency, the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, to inform all Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that an Emergency Sitting of the Senate has been scheduled…” the notice read.
“All distinguished senators are kindly requested to note this emergency sitting date and attend.”
The development comes amid increasing pressure on the National Assembly to revisit Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which deals with the electronic transmission of election results.
Last Wednesday, the Senate retained the provision for electronic transfer of election results as contained in the Electoral Act 2022.
During deliberations, the upper chamber rejected proposals seeking to mandate real-time transmission of results from polling units and also declined a proposed 10-year ban for vote buyers, opting instead to maintain existing penalties of fines or jail terms.
Some senators have since clarified that the amendment bill enjoyed majority support in the chamber.
However, despite that backing, the Senate did not adopt the real-time transmission clause advocated by civil society groups and electoral reform proponents. Instead, it retained the existing wording in the 2022 Electoral Act, which provides that results be transferred “in a manner as prescribed by the commission.”
