According to report reaching oyogist.com, the National Assembly will pass the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 already slated for final consideration next week.
The media was at the weekend awash with news that electronic transfer of results from the 8, 809 wards direct to the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been removed from provisions of the bill.
The report made some of the civil society organizations put the telephone numbers of the presiding officers of the National Assembly on social media platforms which were used to bombard their lines on why such a move was being made.
But the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan in his reaction to the insinuation during inauguration of the National Commissioners of the Public Complaints Commission, PCC in Abuja, said presiding officers are not in any way tampering with workings of committees of both chambers on the electoral act amendment bill.
“Let me seize this opportunity to react to insinuations being made against leadership of the National Assembly as regards the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021, which will soon be considered and passed at both chambers.
“Leadership or presiding officers of the National Assembly are not the one to determine what and what provisions should be in the report to be presented, making the series of calls being made to us unnecessary.
“Nothing has been tampered with in the report that is yet to be presented for final consideration and passage at both chambers.
“It is very important that those who feel very strongly about any amendment that they think should be effected in the Electoral Act should contact or talk to their members of the House of Representatives as well as Distinguished Senators.
“I want to state categorically here that presiding officers are not the ones to determine what is carried or what is not.
“Our appeal to Nigerians as leaders of the National Assembly is for them to contact or approach their Representatives in the National Assembly either in the Senate or in the House of Representatives for defence of their positions anytime the bill is tabled for clause by clause consideration which will be either this week or next week ” he said.
