‘A Very Sad Commentary’, Lawyer Faults Senate Over Electoral Act Amendment

A legal practitioner, Victor Giwa, has criticised what transpired at the National Assembly on Tuesday over the amendment to a section of the Electoral Act bordering on the electronic transmission of election results.

The Senate rescinded its earlier position, which had rejected the compulsory electronic transmission of results from polling units to IREV, following public backlash.

However, the lawmakers retained a provision allowing manual collation of results in areas with poor internet connectivity — a clause many critics have described as unnecessary.

READ ALSO: Senate Reverses Stance To Allow E-Transmission Of Election Results, Retains Manual Backup

Reacting during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Giwa said the National Assembly ought to be an institution championing the country’s advancement but is failing in that responsibility.

“What played out yesterday in the National Assembly is a very sad commentary. The National Assembly is supposed to be a subset of leadership that should promote national development, integration, and security,” he said.

“It is very sad that what we saw yesterday diminishes that particular perception of national development.”

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The legal practitioner added that members of the National Assembly should be among the best in terms of leadership.

Speaking further, Giwa expressed disbelief at what he described as the excuse of possible network failure and lack of internet connectivity.

“I saw yesterday that one of the countries hosting the 2026 World Cup is going to use robotic dogs to monitor and supervise the tournament coming up in the next four months,” he said.

“We are talking about the problem of not having a network — that is what the issue actually is. The National Assembly should be tasking our Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on how they can pursue serious technological development, setting targets for these MDAs and INEC,” he added.