No Need To Sign Amended Electoral Act Without E-Transmission Of Results

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has advised President Muhammadu Buhari against giving assent to the recently-passed electoral act amendment bill if it does not provide for the electronic transmission of election results.

Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Ortom accused the lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of collaborating with Buhari against adopting transmission of election results electronically.

He expressed that the security challenges in the north “are created by politicians to ensure that no election takes place so that they will rig the election”.

Also Read: Reps Pass Electoral Act Amendment Bill After Opposition Lawmakers Walk Out

He stated that at a time when the world is going digital, it is out of place for Nigeria to keep doing things with the analogue system.

“And this is what is going on, and honestly, I want to advise the President that there is no need to sign the amended Electoral Act without the provision for electronic transmission of results. I think we have come of age, we cannot be going back to analogue when the entire world is going digital,” Ortom said.

“Everything is going digital today, whether television, radio or cars. The President must have a rethink, let him not take Nigerians from top to bottom, but rather use the remaining period we have to take us from bottom to top so that we can get things right in this country.

”And I think that any attempt to continue to do manual transmission of election results will deny voters the right to vote and to have their votes count which the President promised. Let every Nigerian have the right to cast his or her vote and let that vote count. But from what we have seen the intention is to make sure that our votes do not count.”