…as House moves to approve Diaspora voting
From: Ndubuisi Orji and Kemi Yesufu, Abuja
All Progressives Congress (APC) legislators and their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts in the House of Representatives were sharply divided, on Tuesday, over the inclusion of Electronic Card Reader in the Electoral Act.
This was coming as a Bill seeking to alter the 2010 Electoral Act to empower Nigerians living in the Diaspora to vote in presidential elections in the country among other matters, passed second reading in the House.
The Bill which is sponsored by Sunday Karimu and three others is also seeking to empower vice presidential and deputy governorship candidates to assume the position of their party candidates, if the candidate dies before the completion of an election.
It also seeks to incorporate Electronic Card Reader into the Electoral Act as a credible means of voter accreditation and voting and provide for strict compliance with Election Guidelines and Manual to make elections free, fair and credible.
The Bill, which ultimately seeks to amend sections 9,12, 26, 33, 36,117 ,118 and 119 of the 2010 electoral act, also seek to provide a timeline for substitution of candidates, disclosure of source of funds contributed to political parties and empower INEC to uphold results of party primaries, where there is a change in the result.
Speaking during the debate, Minority Leader, Hon Leo Ogor dismissed the Electronic Card Reader, which was used in the conduct of the 2015 general election as an instrument used in disenfranchising Nigerians during elections.
The lawmaker said if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wants to introduce electronic voting, it should do so, stating that the PDP will oppose any attempt to introduce card readers into the Electoral Act.
“Card reader is an instrument of disenfranchising Nigeria. INEC should wake up to their responsibility. We should go for clear electronic voting. Any attempt to introduce the card readers into the electoral act, we will go fully against it,” he said.
Lending support to Ogor, a PDP member from Enugu State, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, said a device like the card reader that failed to recognise the finger prints of somebody in the calibre of the country’s president in the last should be looked at critically .
However, the Majority Whip, Hon Alhassan Ado Doguwa in his contribution said the Electronic Card Reader is meant to stop political corruption in the country, noting that it must be included in the Electoral Act.
“No amount of argument can convince me that card reader is not a electronic device. The usage of the card reader is a deliberate attempt to fight electoral corruption. It is a very good bill. Card Reader must survive and be included in the electoral act.
“Whoever found himself as a victim of card reader should have himself to blame,” Ado- Doguwa said.
Earlier in the debate,Karimu said if the proposed amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act sails through, it will among other issues address the controversy that arose during the last gubernatorial election in Kogi State where the APC candidate, late Abubakar Audu died while the election was on.
He said the amendment became necessary because the Supreme Court which was expected to address the issue ended adding to the confusion.
In his contribution, Hon Pally Irise from Edo State described the bill as a proactive attempt to deepen the nation’s democracy.
The lawmaker, who is also the deputy majority whip said the bill will enable the House to take a holistic view of the 2010 Electoral Act and make necessary amendments.
He urged the Presidential Committee on Electoral Reforms headed by Senator Ken Nnamani to speed up it’s assignments, so that its recommendation can be incorporated into the Electoral Act preparatory to the conduct of the 2019 general election.
On his part, Hon Shehu Garbage Sani said there is a high population of Nigerians in the Diaspora, noting that there is need to amend the electoral act to enable them participate in the presidential election.
However, Hon Nnenna Ukejie said in as much as she recognses the right of every Nigerian to participate in electing the leadership, the absence of accurate data on Nigerians in Diaspora is a drawback on Diaspora voting.
Ukejie said the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) should be invited to address the House on the structure it has in place to support Nigerians in Diaspora participating in the country’s presidential election.
The speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara, who presided at yesterday’s plenary later referred to bill to the House Committees on Electoral, Political Matters and Justice for further legislative work.