I Didn’t Vote Against Electronic Transmission Of Results

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Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and
Legal Matters Opeyemi Bamidele has said he did not vote against
electronic transmission of results by the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said he was one of the few Senators who fought hard for
inclusion of electronic transmission of results in the Electoral
Act (Amendment) Bill.

He said he has remained consistent in his legislative work in
the overriding public interest.

He said some senators from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
were grandstanding on the floor of the Senate to run a smear
campaign against All Progressives Congress (APC) senators ahead of
2023 general elections.

Bamidele, who is a member of the Senate Committee on INEC,
explained his roles on Electoral Act Amendment Bill in a statement
in Abuja.

He gave insights into what transpired in the Senate and
expressed concerns over misrepresentations by PDP.

He said: “In order that no one who knows me and what I have
always stood for would be in doubt as to where I stand, I wish to
place on record that I am fully in support of the passage of
Section 52(3) of the proposed Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, which
seeks to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
powers to transmit election results electronically.

“ Let it be known also that I am specifically a member of the
Senate Committee on INEC, which, in addition to electronic voting
contained in Section 52 (2), recommended and ensured the inclusion
of this electronic transmission clause 52 (3) in our Committee
report submitted to the Senate for deliberation and passage. The
said report, known as the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill carries
both my name and signature.

“We did this in response to the popular desire of a cross
section of Nigerians, including stakeholders who participated in
our public hearing, as well as in recognition of and compliance
with global best practice standard in electoral law and
procedure.

“For the records, we had specifically recommended in our report
that INEC might electronically transfer election results “where and
when practicable.”

“As it is the practice in parliamentary procedure, our
Committee, which made this recommendation, is, like any other
standing committee of the Senate, only a SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
once the entire Senate sits to consider the report and clause by
clause passage of the proposed Bill.

“At this point, any Senator shall have the right and privilege
to propose amendment to any of the clauses proposed in the
sub-committee’s report being considered. This was exactly what
happened on the floor of the Nigerian Senate on Thursday, 15th
July, 2021.

“The Distinguished Senator representing Niger East Senatorial
District, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, expressed concern that the
words ‘electronic transmission of results where and when
practicable’, as used in our report, were rather nebulous and could
lead to arbitrary intervention and implementation.

“He also opined that the Nigerian Communication Commission
(NCC), being the regulatory institution in charge of communication
infrastructure across the country, should be made to work with INEC
in determining the “where and when practicable” desire in our
report to ensure that Voters in rural communities without access to
communication network are not disenfranchised or the results of
their elections compromised, relying on a report that only about 43
per cent of the Nigerian rural communities so far have access to
communication network service.”

Opeyemi clarified that Senators only disagreed on which versions
of the two drafts on electronic transmission of results should be
approved.

He added: “This was the issue before the Senate. While every
Senator present and voting was in support of electronic
transmission of election results (which is a good development for
Nigeria), there was a division between the two versions of the
draft.

“Distinguished Senator Albert Akpan, representing Akwa Ibom
Central Senatorial District, had proposed that the Senate should
stick to the recommendation as originally proposed by our
sub-committee, as a counter proposal to the amendment sponsored by
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.

“So, the Senate became divided between those who voted ‘.’YES’
to electronic transmission of results “where and when practicable”
and those who voted ‘NO’ to what they described as nebulous version
in support of an amendment they believed would ensure that INEC was
guided by data and scientific realities.

“The voting and subsequent division was not about making a
choice between supporting or rejecting electronic transmission of
election results because we all agreed to it.”

He accused some PDP Senators of taking undue advantage of normal
parliamentary procedure.

He said: “When the Senate Minority Leader called for a division,
we all thought it was a normal parliamentary procedure to ensure
accurate result of voting on the floor of parliament.

“But subsequent events and calculated attempts to manipulate
facts and misinform the public since then have shown that there was
more to it than met the eye as the PDP had taken it beyond their
grandstanding on the floor of the Senate to working so hard to run
a smear campaign against APC Senators as if their voting ‘no’ was
in rejection of electronic transmission of results.

“Of course, 2023 is getting nearer and, expectedly, though
unfortunately, PDP is becoming more restless, more aggressive and
more determined to manipulate its way back into power. But I think
we all should still be mindful of what we do when we are making
laws for the people.”

Bamidele said he has been an advocate of electoral reforms as
part of his agenda for contesting election to the Senate.

He said: “Electoral reforms constitute a major part of my agenda
for contesting election to the Senate because I am convinced on the
need to sanitize and stabilize our electoral process so as to
stabilize our polity and, by implication, stabilize our
economy.

“ I am happy my membership of the Senate Committee is affording
me the opportunity to be actively involved in fundamental
discussions, engagements, drafting and voting processes aimed at
strengthening our democracy. Do I support that INEC be given powers
to transmit election results electronically? Absolutely, yes. Did I
canvass that position at my Committee level? YES.

“Did the Committee boldly introduce this clause into the draft
Electoral Amendment Bill submitted to the Senate for consideration?
YES, as it clearly carries my name and signature. Should I have
allowed myself to be misguided by the manipulation of those who
would not want additional input and reasonable and data driven
amendments to our report on the floor of the Senate? NO.

“Am I driven by overriding public interest in my voting on the
amendment to our sub-committee version of Section 52 (3) of the
proposed Bill? YES.

“Guided by the same overriding public interest that made me
endorse a recommendation of our same sub-committee (Senate
Committee on INEC) to the same Senate rejecting a Presidential
nomination into INEC as National Electoral Commissioner just less
than forty eight hours before the voting on Electoral Bill.

“ It is also the same overriding public interest principle which
has guided me in sponsoring several Bills and Motions aimed at
achieving judicial reforms, social reforms, economic reforms,
electoral reforms, youth and women development, deepening diaspora
participation in our political process and far reaching
constitutional amendment and reforms.”

He assured his supporters and admirers that he has not betrayed
the trust reposed in him.

He said: “I am consistently who I am: Michael Opeyemi Bamidele,
a product of the collective struggle of the Nigerian youth,
students and Pro-Democracy movement. More than most people who
grandstand on the floor of the Nigerian parliament today, I, most
respectfully, submit that I have more Stakeholders to account to
for my actions and inactions, in addition to my Constituents who
massively and happily elected me to serve in this capacity.

“ Above all, I am accountable to God Almighty who has saved me
to serve and I will faithfully serve Him and humanity to the best
of my ability. That is my stand for those who are interested in
knowing where I stand on these issues.

“Beyond this, I may not comment any further on this issue as the
Senate, as an institution, has an officially appointed Spokesman
who would continue to explain the rationale behind every decision
of the Senate.

“But let the innocent public beware of political manipulation
and let it be known that if an election was to be conducted today
and INEC runs into logistic problems in its efforts to
electronically transmit results in some remote parts of the
country, these same PDP gladiators would be the first to shout that
they were being rigged out.

“So, I believe it is important to make NCC submit to INEC for
the specific purpose of assisting the electoral umpire in
determining the availability of necessary infrastructure and
technical capacity to do so long clearly before election.

“If we are wrong on this, let it be the people themselves that
will tell us so and if the law is deemed to be invalid, let it be
the Judiciary, as the watchdog of democracy, that will shut it
down. Not the grandstanding, intimidation or smear campaign of a
desperate and self-serving political opposition platform.”