By Dirisu Yakubu

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has expressed shock over the Nigerian Senate’s decision to vote against electoral transmission of election result as proposed in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

While Senators elected on the platform of the PDP voted in favour of electronic transmission, APC Senators who are in the majority voted against the clause, thus, rendering the bill dead for now.

Reacting to the development, the PDP through its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said “the action of the APC senators is an atrocious assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians, who looked up to the Senate for improvement in our electoral process in a manner that will engender free, fair and credible process.”

The statement read: “It is outrageous that the APC and its senators, in their desperate bid to annex the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, seek to route a statutorily independent commission to the approval of an individual masquerading in the Nigeria Communication Commission, NCC; an agency under executive control in addition to an extra endorsement of the legislature, before conducting elections.    

“This action of the APC Senators is a direct affront, novel in its recklessness and a defilement of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which clearly conferred operational independence to INEC to conduct elections, free from interferences and regulations from any other agency of government.

“The decision of the APC Senators therefore amounts to a suspension of the 1999 constitution (as amended) which is a recipe for crisis that could derail our democracy and destabilize our nation.

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“It is, to say the least, a preparation for mass rigging of elections across Nigeria by the APC, which must be firmly resisted.

“Our party, standing with Nigerians, however commends the PDP senators as well as other democratically minded Senators in the chamber for their resilience in voting for unconditional electronic transmission of results, in line with the wishes and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, clean and credible election.

“The PDP however notes the efforts being made in the House of Representatives and urges lawmakers to return to the chamber tomorrow (today) and save our nation from the machination of the APC as being pushed in the Senate.”