The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the Senate’s revised position on the transmission of election results, accusing lawmakers of attempting to undermine electoral reforms through what it described as a “backdoor” approach.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the faction said the addendum introduced by the Senate—allowing manual transmission where technology fails—was a disguised attempt to achieve the same objective as its earlier rejection of real-time electronic transmission.
According to the statement, manual transmission is already adequately provided for under the Electoral Act, adding that the current push for electronic transmission is aimed at strengthening the integrity of elections by preventing the manipulation of results during collation.
“We have taken note of the outcome of the Senate’s reconsideration of its earlier position on the real-time electronic transmission of election results, wherein an addendum was introduced to permit manual transmission where technology is said to fail,” the statement said.
“We hold the firm view that this addendum is nothing more than a backdoor attempt to achieve the same objective as the earlier outright rejection, while pretending to align with the wishes of the Nigerian people.”
The faction argued that it was illogical to suggest that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which functions effectively for voter accreditation throughout elections, would suddenly become unreliable for transmitting results from the same process.
It claimed the caveat reflected what it described as the fear of senators opposed to electronic transmission, singling out Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom it alleged remained affected by his 2019 electoral loss following the deployment of technology to curb over-voting.
The statement urged members of the National Assembly Conference Committee to adopt the version of the Electoral Amendment Bill passed by the House of Representatives as the harmonised position, if they were truly committed to delivering credible elections in 2027.
It called on lawmakers to rise above partisan interests and focus on safeguarding democracy and future generations.
The PDP faction also appealed to Nigerians to remain steadfast in their demand for real-time electronic transmission of election results, warning against compromising democratic gains.
“This is no time for excuses. This hard-won democracy is far too valuable to be left in the hands of politicians alone,” the statement added.
