INEC Insists Of Electronic Voting

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday said it did not need the approval of the Nigerian Communications Commission to transmit election results electronically.

This was as the National Assembly told the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, to seek proper legal advice instead of misinforming Nigerians on the independence of INEC to conduct elections.

INEC also said that the decision of the National Assembly to subject its constitutional power to conduct elections to the NCC was absolutely unconstitutional.

 During the debate on section 52 (3) of the Electoral Amendment Act Bill, dealing with electronic transmission by lawmakers, they had asked INEC to seek the approval of the NCC before going on with e-transmission of results.

But speaking at the third quarterly meeting of INEC with media executives in Abuja, the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman (Electoral Operations and Logistic Committee), Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, said rather than seeking the approval of NCC, INEC had the constitutional mandate to impose duties on NCC in order to achieve the electronic transmission of results.

He said, “That is absolutely unconstitutional. You cannot ask INEC to seek the approval of another agency of government to transmit result electronically when actually INEC has power to impose duties on NCC to achieve electronic transmission of results.

“I completely agree that in the context of underscoring the independence of the commission, section 160 of the Constitution has done everything it needs to do. What is left is for INEC to use the power it has under the constitution to achieve it aim.”

THE Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday said it did not need the approval of the Nigerian Communications Commission to transmit election results electronically.

This was as the National Assembly told the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, to seek proper legal advice instead of misinforming Nigerians on the independence of INEC to conduct elections.

INEC also said that the decision of the National Assembly to subject its constitutional power to conduct elections to the NCC was absolutely unconstitutional.

The PUNCH reported that during the debate on section 52 (3) of the Electoral Amendment Act Bill, dealing with electronic transmission by lawmakers, they had asked INEC to seek the approval of the NCC before going on with e-transmission of results.

But speaking at the third quarterly meeting of INEC with media executives in Abuja, the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman (Electoral Operations and Logistic Committee), Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, said rather than seeking the approval of NCC, INEC had the constitutional mandate to impose duties on NCC in order to achieve the electronic transmission of results.

He said, “That is absolutely unconstitutional. You cannot ask INEC to seek the approval of another agency of government to transmit result electronically when actually INEC has power to impose duties on NCC to achieve electronic transmission of results.

“I completely agree that in the context of underscoring the independence of the commission, section 160 of the Constitution has done everything it needs to do. What is left is for INEC to use the power it has under the constitution to achieve it aim.”

“INEC, in implementing the law, becomes independent pursuant to the constitutional provision. He (INEC chairman) should not muddle the independence of INEC with that of its agency’s operations, as to the legislative competence of the National Assembly to stipulate framework for elections.

“The INEC chairman does not seem to know the position of the law as to the constitutional power of INEC vis a vis the National Assembly from what he said. I will advise him to seek proper legal advice,” Basiru said.