Senate Approves Electronic Voting, Legalises Card Reader For 2019 Election
The Senate on Thursday passed amendments to the Electoral Act 2010 thus approving electronic voting and smart card reader for the conduct of the 2019 general elections and other future elections in the country.
The upper legislative arm also authorized the Independent National Electoral Commission to deploy the card reader device for voter accreditation.
The fresh amendment to the Electoral Act was passed during plenary session presided over by Senate President Bukola Saraki on Thursday.
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The passage of bill followed the consideration of the report of the senate committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on a bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 and for other related matters (SB 231 and SB 234).
The Senate added a new clause to section 52 of the Principal Act, stating, “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shall adopt electronic voting in all elections or any other method of voting as may be determined by the Commission from time to time.”
It explained that “the amendment mandates e-voting without ambiguity but also gives the commission discretion to use other methods if it is impracticable to use e-voting in any election.”
The Senate further addressed confusion that could arise from sudden death of candidate of a political party before conclusion of election, to avoid the scenario in the November 2015 gubernatorial election in Kogi State where the death of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Audu, created a crisis within the party.
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According to the resolve, political party of such a dead candidate is mandated to conduct fresh primary election to elect a new candidate within 14 days, while the INEC is given 21 days to conclude the election with the transfer of votes of the deceased candidate to the new one.
The lawmakers stripped the president and governors of the control of party primaries by removing political appointees as delegates.
It also pegged nomination fee for Presidential, governorship, senatorial and House of Reps aspirants at N10 million, N5 million, N2 million and N1 million respectively. These are contained in the new provision in Section 87 of the Principal Act.
The Senate also inserted a new subsection to section 19 of the Principal Act to compel INEC to display copy of voters’ register for each local government, Area Council or Ward at every registration area and on its official website.
