Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians are fully justified in their anger at the Senate over its handling of the Electoral Act, particularly the controversy surrounding electronic transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made the remark on Friday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where she criticised lawmakers for failing to close loopholes that have long undermined public confidence in elections.
Her comments followed the Senate’s decision earlier this week to reject an amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
According to Ezekwesili, the real problem lies in the Senate’s decision to retain Section 60, Subsection 5 of the INEC Act, a provision she described as “infamous” for granting excessive discretion to the electoral body.
“That section became notorious because it created a loophole that weakened trust in INEC,” she said. “Since the law did not make real-time electronic transmission compulsory, there was little anyone could do when results were delayed or manipulated.”
She noted that many Nigerians welcomed the review of the Electoral Act as a rare opportunity to fix ambiguities and remove discretionary powers that could be abused during elections.
However, she accused the Senate of taking a complacent approach instead.
“The citizens expected meaningful reform,” Ezekwesili added. “But the Senate chose to treat it like a ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ issue. Nigerians have every reason to be as angry as they are right now.”
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