By Saidu Idris
365Daily – The three Senators representing Anambra State, 365Daily can confirm, evaded taking a stand in favour or against electronic transmission of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during Thursday’s voting session on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill by walking out of the chambers during the individual voting session.
*Oduah
The three Senators, Stella Oduah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Ekwunife (PDP) and Ifeanyi Ubah, Young Democratic Party (YDP), were present at the Chambers when the initial general voice vote was taken, but inexplicably decided to leave the floor before individual votes were done for better transparency of the process.
Senate President, Ibrahim Lawan, had earlier ruled in favour of the amendment when he conducted a voice vote but Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, called for a division that would require individual voting on the floor.
But the three Senators chose to exit the Chambers before the Clerk of the Senate, Ibrahim El – Ladan, who presided over the election by calling senators one after the other on the basis of state by state, called Anambra State.
Out of the 109 Senators, 52 voted against, 28 voted in favour, while 28 were absent, during the Thursday, July 15, 2021, session.
According to the result of the process announced by the Clerk of the Senate, all PDP Senators on the floor, led by the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, voted in favour of electronic transmission of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without interference from either the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), or the National Assembly.
Outrage has greeted the failure of the Senate to vote in favour of electronic transmission of election results, as many have described it as an endorsement of electoral fraud and raises questions about the democratic credentials of those that voted against it.