Last Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari, laid to rest all speculations and conspiracy theories and granted his assent to the contentious Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2022, recently passed by the National Assembly.
Barely 24 hours after the bill was signed into law, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), readjusted the 2023 General Election timetable with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, assuring the commission would transmit the 2023 general election results electronically.
According to the notice for the 2023 general elections published on Monday, February 28, to beat the 360 days stipulated in the Electoral Act 2022, the Presidential and National Assembly elections will now hold on Saturday, February 25, 2023 as against February 18 earlier announced, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on March 11, 2023.
Obviously, the new time frame is to allow for conformity with the provisions of the Electoral law, which stipulates that election notice be published at least 360 days to the elections.
The Commission, through its Chairman, Yakubu, said from the pilot exercise conducted regarding transmission of results to its Results Viewing Portal (IREC) which covered all the nook and cranny of Nigeria without challenges in both remote or urban areas confirms, “the commission has capacity to transmit results electronically” just by uploading polling units results from the over 176,000 locations nationwide.
While signing the amended Electoral bill, into law last Friday, President Buhari, admitted in his speech that “There are salient and praiseworthy provisions that could positively revolutionize elections in Nigeria, through the introduction of new technological innovations. These innovations would guarantee the constitutional rights of citizens to vote and to do so effectively.”
He also held that “The Bill would also improve and engender clarity, effectiveness and transparency of the election process, as well as reduce to the barest minimum incidences of acrimony arising from dissatisfied candidates and political parties.”
Interestingly, the new Electoral Act Amendment 2022, will engender a more sustainable credibility into the nation’s electoral turf with the following benefits among many others:-
Section 50: enshrines electronic transmission of results into the extant Electoral Act. A process, nigerians have been yearning for to prevent fraud and manipulation.
Clause 65: Power to Review Election Results Declared Under Duress. This particular clause which was missing in the extant Electoral Act, shall address the issues of a stolen mandate.
Section 47: Legalised Electronic Accreditation of Voters with the use of Smart Card Readers and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as included into the new extant Electoral Act. A development, Nigerians have been clamouring for, would increase Voter confidence.
Section 84(12) which provides as follows:- “No political appointee at any level shall be voting delegate or be voted for at the Convention or Congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election”.
For some, this section constitute a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at Conventions or Congresses of any political party while others believe, the clause will ensure a level playing field for all who take part in the party nomination of candidates process. Before this Act, political office holders are used by their principals (governors) to dominate party primaries within the ruling party.
Section 29 (1): makes for early conduct of party primaries and submission of list of candidates. “Every political party shall, not later than 180 days (6 months) prior to election day, submit the list of its candidates, who must have emerged from valid primaries conducted by the political party, to INEC”.
Section 94: introduces early commencement of campaigns. With this section, political parties now have more time for campaigns, from 90 days to 150 days, before polling day and 24 hours before election day.
We therefore, laud President Buhari, for this singular commitment to bequeath the legacy of credible elections to Nigerians in tandem with his election promise, barely 7 years ago while urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be courageous and responsible in discharging their service with the new Electoral Act 2022.
