Senate agrees with reps, approves conference committee report on electoral bill

By our reporter/ The senate on Tuesday approved the conference committee report on the electoral act amendment bill.

The approval followed a motion by senate leader, Yahaya Abdullahi.

It will be recalled that both chambers passed different versions of the bill, hence the setting-up of a conference committee.

The senate had in July empowered the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to determine the electronic transmission of election results, a development that was widely condemned with many calling on the red chamber to follow the example of the lower house which adopted the use of technology “where practicable”.

In the conference committee report, both chambers of the national assembly empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the best mode to transmit election results.

The electoral commission will now have to decide how to transmit election results — either electronically or manually.

Both chambers also approved that all political parties must use the direct primary mode in picking candidates.

Once the house of representatives approves the report, a clean copy will be produced and sent to the president for assent by the clerk of the national assembly.