Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Tuesday said the electronic transmission of results if adopted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), will reduce electoral fraud.
Speaking during an interview in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Wike commended the National Assembly for empowering INEC to determine the mode of transmission of results.
While describing the parliament’s move as a welcome development, he said the process would be a trust in the nation’s electoral system that would also reduce election litigations.
He however urged the National Assembly not to not to decide for political parties, the method to be adopted in the conduct of their primary election as been recommended in some clauses in the Electoral Act Repeal and Re-Enactment bill.
“Now that the result will be transmitted electronically, no way for rigging,” he said. “Only those who support rigging are against results to be transmitted electronically.
“If any politician believes that he or she has done well for the people, you will know that that politician will not be afraid and will say ‘whichever way you want to transmit the result, I am available for it but I want it to be transparent.
“I want people to have confidence in the electoral system to help INEC so that nobody goes to attack INEC officials.”
According to him, parties could adopt a procedure in electing who represents them at various levels and not for the National Assembly to say whether it is direct or indirect primary.
While noting that Nigeria practices democracy, the governor said the mode of primary should be at the discretion of political parties.
The National Assembly decision followed the reversal of the Senate’s earlier decision that INEC may consider the electronic transmission of results “provided national [network] coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure” by the Nigerian Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.
Under a new amendment of Clause 52 (2) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the Senate resolved that “voting at an election and transmission of results under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Commission, which may include electronic voting”.
