The Senate on Wednesday passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill after a five-hour, clause-by-clause deliberation, retaining the provision for electronic transmission of results while rejecting real-time reporting.
The bill, the sole item on the order paper following a valedictory session for the late Senator Okey Ezea, was approved by the Committee of the Whole after lawmakers considered and adopted all 155 clauses.
While most clauses were maintained in their original form, lawmakers made some amendments.
Notably, the timeline for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish a notice of election was reduced from 360 days to 180 days, a move intended to streamline the electoral process.
However, the Senate rejected calls for real-time transmission of election results, choosing instead to uphold the electronic transfer of results as provided under the 2002 Electoral Act.
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