Electoral bill: Reps grill INEC, NCC chiefs

The Independent National Electoral Commission and the Nigerian Communications Commission, are currently addressing the lawmakers at plenary, on the possibility of transmitting election results electronically from every part of the country.

Passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill at the House was stalled on Thursday, forcing the chamber to continue consideration of its clauses today, The PUNCH reports

The National Assembly does not hold plenary on Friday and the House was to begin the two-month annual recess on Thursday, but for the development.

The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, had to adjourn plenary till Friday where Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu; and Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Umar Danbatta, are to brief the chamber on the implication of having election results transmitted electronically.

The House spent about two hours on clause 52(2) of the bill as several attempts to have it amended were overruled by the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, who presided over the Committee of the Whole to consider the clauses of the bill.

The clause caused a division in the House, with the lawmakers polarised along regional lines, causing rowdiness in the chamber for several hours, during which several lawmakers engaged themselves in shouting matches.