Emameh Gabriel writes that the National Assembly is in the news again as controversy over the Electoral Act Amendment (2021) may lead to a stormy session today
Disturbed by the violence, ballot box snatching, bloodshed and other electoral malfeasance that have overtime characterised elections in the Nigeria, the Nigerian Senate in 2019 initiated fresh moves to address these challenges through a rejig of the Electoral Act. The move rekindled the hopes and confidence of Nigerian electorates on the Ahmed Lawan-led National Assembly.
The clamour from key political stakeholders and the informed public is that until some of these challenges are addressed head on, elections in the country will continue to record needless setbacks and human casualties.
Harmonising various amendment bills sponsored in the past, the National Assembly after a marathon public hearing yesterday, in Abuja, adopted a proposed legislation impressing it on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to embrace electronic voting or any other method of balloting in any election it conducts as it may deem fit.
The proposal retained the collation of results at ward and other levels.
Also, the use of smart card reader in the accreditation of voters has been made mandatory, as its failure warrants outright cancellation of polls.
It added: “The presiding officer shall use a smart card reader or any other technological device that may be prescribed by the commission for the accreditation of voters to verify, confirm or authenticate particulars in a manner prescribed by the commission.”