The National Executive Council of the Nigerian Bar Association has faulted the Senate’s refusal to mandate the electronic transmission of election results, describing the decision as a setback to electoral transparency and democratic accountability.
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The position was contained in an executive report presented by the NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, at the association’s National Executive Council meeting held in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Thursday.
Osigwe told the council that the Senate had rejected a proposed amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically transmit polling unit results in real time.
“Yesterday, the Senate rejected a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill aimed at compelling the electronic transmission of election results,” the NBA President said.
According to him, the rejected amendment would have required INEC presiding officers to upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal immediately after Form EC8A had been signed and stamped.
Osigwe said the Senate, however, opted to retain the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which allows results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
Following deliberations, the NBA NEC resolved that the National Assembly should revisit the decision and explicitly mandate the electronic transmission of election results.
“The NBA NEC resolved that the National Assembly should vote in favour of the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill aimed at compelling the electronic transmission of election results,” the report stated.
The association warned that failure to clearly provide for electronic transmission would continue to create room for disputes, undermine public confidence in elections and fuel post-election litigation.
Beyond electoral reforms, the NEC meeting also focused on the worsening security situation in the Federal Capital Territory, particularly the resurgence of deadly “one-chance” robberies.
Osigwe told council members that Abuja had once again been gripped by fear following the killing of two women by criminals operating under the guise of commercial transporters.
“In separate but equally tragic incidents, Ms Chinemerem Pascalina Chuwumeziem, a nurse, and Princess Chigbo Mediatrix, our colleague, a lawyer and former Treasurer of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch, lost their lives after falling victim to this deadly criminal enterprise,” he said.
The NBA President described the killings as a painful reminder that insecurity was tightening its grip on the nation’s capital.
“These were not faceless victims. They were professionals, contributors to society and ordinary citizens whose only intention was to return safely from their daily engagements,” he said.
Osigwe described the murder of the Abuja-based lawyer as deeply personal to the association, noting that her death underscored the vulnerability of citizens, including legal practitioners.
“For us in the legal profession, the murder of Princess Chigbo Mediatrix is deeply personal. She was one of us and served the NBA Abuja Branch with commitment.
“When citizens cannot safely commute, when professionals are hunted in plain sight, and when criminals operate unchecked in the nation’s capital, the foundations of social order are gravely threatened,” he added.
The NBA condemned the killings “in the strongest terms” and called on security agencies and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to treat the situation as an emergency.
“The pattern is no longer deniable. Criminal gangs masquerading as commercial transport operators have turned daily commuting into a deadly gamble.
“Immediate, visible and coordinated action is required to dismantle these criminal networks,” Osigwe said, adding that intelligence gathering, surveillance and policing of transport corridors must be intensified.
He further called for thorough investigations and the prosecution of all those involved in the killings.
“Those responsible, whether as direct perpetrators, collaborators or enablers, must be identified, arrested and prosecuted. Justice must not only be promised; it must be delivered,” he said.
The NEC meeting concluded with the association reaffirming its commitment to defending constitutional governance, electoral integrity and public safety, while urging both the legislature and security agencies to take decisive steps to restore public confidence.
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