Kenneth Okonkwo criticises Senate’s Electoral Act amendment, claiming non-mandatory electronic transmission weakens Nigeria’s electoral integrity
Kenneth Okonkwo, member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has condemned the Senate’s recent amendment of the Electoral Act, accusing lawmakers of weakening Nigeria’s democracy.
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In a statement shared on X on Tuesday titled “Nigerians are duped by the Senate,” Okonkwo faulted the amendment to Section 60, which permits the electronic transmission of election results but allows manual collation when electronic transmission is deemed impossible.
Okonkwo specifically criticised a proposal by Senator Mohammed Monguno, which allows manually generated Form EC8A to be used if electronic transmission cannot occur.
He argued the proviso undermines the principle of mandatory electronic transmission and legitimises technical failures during elections.
“What Nigerians want is that electronic transmission is mandatory, and anytime it is impossible to transmit results electronically from the polling unit, the election should be void and rescheduled,” Okonkwo said.
“This Senate is hell-bent on destroying our democracy and Nigerians must resist this.”
The ADC chieftain highlighted that a similar loophole was exploited during the 2023 presidential election, when electronic transmission reportedly failed in some areas.
Okonkwo compared the amendment to provisions under Section 47 of the Electoral Act 2022 regarding BVAS, noting that elections were cancelled if accreditation devices failed.
The Senate, in an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, amended Section 60 to require presiding officers to electronically transmit results to INEC’s Results Viewing Portal (IREV) after signing Form EC8A.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio explained that the results must be transmitted electronically, and may be countersigned by candidates or polling agents if available.
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Okonkwo, however, dismissed the amendment as insufficient, stating it permits the use of unverified manual results in situations where electronic transmission is impossible, effectively weakening the integrity of elections.
