Former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has described as the right way to go, the consent by the Senate for election results, henceforth, to be transmitted electronically.
He said the move also signifies a new dawn in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
George said the synergy between the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the much vexed electronic transmission of results was quite laudable, noting that the primitive manual system whereby results were physically carried often gave room for easy manipulation and the brazen distortion of the will of the people.
“The issue of electronic transmission of results which have now been approved by the Nigerian Senate and is being harmonised by the joint House and Senate Committee is indeed the right way forward for the Nigerian democracy. It signifies a new dawn in the strengthening of our young democracy.
“The synergy between the parliament and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the much vexed electronic transmission of results is quite laudable.
“The primitive manual system whereby results are physically carried often gives room for easy manipulation and the brazen distortion of the will of the people,” he said.
George, while throwing support for electronic transmission of poll results, further said physically carrying result sheets from polling units to the wards, the local governments and other levels of administration was not only wrong but downright untidy and cumbersome, adding that such allowed for fraud as well as the disenfranchisement of the voters.
“Physically carrying result sheets from polling units to the wards, the local governments and other levels of administration is not only wrong, it is downright untidy, cumbersome and absolute trigger for fraud and the disenfranchisement of our people,” the PDP chieftain said.