NAS Knocks N’Assembly over Electronic Transfer of Election Results, Urges Buhari to Withhold Assent

The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) has berated the leadership of the National Assembly over the amendment of Section 52(3) of the Electoral Act which deals with the electronic transfer of election results.

The Senate had before it embarked on recess amended the clause to whittle down the power of the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) subjecting it to seek approval from the National Assembly and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), a development which irked a cross section of Nigerians and civil society groups.

The NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje, in a statement titled: “Democracy and The National Assembly’s Perfidy” said the Nigerian Senate arrogated power to itself to dictate the acclivities of INEC.

According to the statement, Owoaje pointed out that the action of the federal lawmakers would frustrate the genuine efforts to sanitize Nigeria’s electoral system.

Owoaje in the statement said: “Nigeria’s elections have been known to be replete with manipulations occurring in the course of manual collation and transmission of results by road. Numerous incidents of forgery and falsification of manually collated results have been recorded in previous polls; a disturbing shortcoming which the electronic transmission of results aimed at eliminating before it was scuttled by lawmakers from the ruling party.

“The National Assembly by this singular act has stripped INEC of its powers to superintend over transparent elections. It has, in one fell swoop, unduly arrogated powers to itself and NCC to ambush INEC, rein it in, and stifle genuine efforts at improving the nation’s electoral fortunes.

He therefore asked lawmakers of the ruling party to rescind their decision to tamper with the independence of INEC, adding that if they refused, President Buhari should distance himself from the plot to endanger democracy.

He said, “We call on members of the ruling party in the National Assembly to immediately rescind this retrogressive decision, and desist from giving the impression that it is averse to free, fair and credible elections. Failure to do this leaves us and fellow Nigerians with no other option than to implore President Muhammadu Buhari to live up to his oft-repeated pledge to bequeath the nation with credible and enduring elections and withhold his assent to the obnoxious bill. He should dissociate himself from the unpatriotic plan to further endanger democracy in Nigeria. The President has a glorious opportunity to walk his talk, and help to sustain democracy by placing national interest above base partisan considerations. Nigerians are watching!”