By By Elizabeth Ugbo
Members of the Minority Caucus in Nigeria’s 10th House of Representatives have opposed moves to rescind key sections of the Electoral Act. The lawmakers, led by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, walked out of plenary on Monday to protest proposed changes affecting electronic transmission of results and party primaries. They briefed journalists in Abuja to explain why the amendments threaten electoral integrity.
Minority Caucus Walks Out to Protest Electoral Changes
Chinda said the Minority Caucus staged the walkout to alert Nigerians about developments in the chamber. “We felt it was necessary to brief those who gave us the mandate on events taking place in Parliament,” he explained.
The caucus opposed amendments to Section 60 of the Electoral Act, which allows electronic transmission of election results. They argue that weakening the section could open doors for manipulation.
Electronic Results Must Prevail Over Manual Forms
Chinda emphasized that electronic results should take precedence over manual forms (EC8A) when conflicts occur. “Where there is a conflict between the manual form, which can be manipulated, and the electronically transmitted result, the electronic result should prevail,” he said.
He warned that the majority party, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC), rejected the proposal for political, not patriotic, reasons.
Minority Alleges Political Interference by Majority Party
According to Chinda, the APC blocked minority proposals to maintain partisan advantages. “These positions were torn down by members of the APC on grounds of political affiliation,” he claimed.
The walkout, he added, was designed to inform Nigerians and let the public assess the situation. “After what happened on the floor, we felt it was better to register our position with Nigerians—the court of public opinion,” Chinda stated.
Party Primaries Should Remain Internal
The Minority Caucus also defended Section 84 of the Electoral Act, which regulates party primaries. They insisted that political parties should freely choose candidates through direct primaries, indirect primaries, or consensus.
“Political parties should determine their internal methods of candidate selection,” Chinda said.
Nigerians Urged to Follow Legislative Process
Chinda concluded by urging Nigerians to monitor the debate closely. “We are parliamentarians. We will continue to take parliamentary steps and bring the issue back to Nigerians. The ball is now in your court,” he stated.
The controversy surrounding the Electoral Act amendments continues, with potential impacts on Nigeria’s future elections.
