Senate may make e-transmission vote records public – Sen Ningi

Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, has said the Senate could make public how individual lawmakers voted on the contentious issue of electronic transmission of election results during deliberations on the Electoral Act amendment.

Ningi stated this on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, ahead of an emergency plenary session scheduled for Tuesday. The session comes amid growing public criticism over the Senate’s handling of the amendment process.

Responding to questions on whether Nigerians would be allowed to see which senators supported or opposed real-time electronic transmission of results, Ningi said the Senate’s rules permit such transparency, depending on the decision of the presiding officer.

“I think it’s possible. It depends on the presiding officer because the law provides that,” he said.

He explained that lawmakers could openly declare their positions during proceedings to ensure proper documentation.

“You can stand up and say, ‘I, Ningi, I accept e-transmission in real time.’ I sit down. It’s recorded for every other senator, and that is the only way we need to move forward,” he added.

The senator attributed part of the controversy to gaps in the official records of the Senate’s proceedings.

“One thing that is very important is that the votes and proceedings have not been captured. So tomorrow, we need to look at what the votes and proceedings captured are,” he said.

Ningi also questioned the process surrounding the proposed amendment to the electronic transmission clause, noting that a motion was introduced by Senator Aliyu Manguno without sufficient clarification.

“There was a motion for amendment by Manguno, and then the question was put. Who asked the question? Why was the question raised?” he queried.

According to him, the issue required more thorough deliberation, suggesting that the Senate President should have sought further explanations from relevant committees before putting the matter to a vote.

The Senate is expected to reconvene on Tuesday as pressure mounts for a review of the disputed provision on the electronic transmission of election results.