The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), urging it to investigate senators allegedly involved in the removal of provisions on the electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
In a statement shared on its official X handle on Sunday, SERAP said the action allegedly occurred during plenary, after a majority of senators had voted in favour of retaining the provisions, and without any debate on their removal.
“BREAKING: We’ve requested the Code of Conduct Bureau (@CCBNigeria) to promptly and effectively investigate the conduct of members of the Senate who allegedly participated in the removal of the provisions on electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during plenary, after the majority of the senators had voted for the inclusion of the provisions and without any debate on the proposed removal,” the statement read.
The petition follows a recent Senate plenary in which lawmakers rejected a proposal to make mandatory the electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The development has drawn widespread criticism from Nigerians and civil society organisations, who argue that the Senate’s action could undermine transparency and credibility in future elections. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however, has denied the claims, insisting that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission provisions from the proposed amendment.
Beyond the Electoral Act issue, SERAP also asked the CCB to probe lawmakers and officials in the executive arm of government over alleged discrepancies between the harmonised versions of tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly and the copies later signed into law and gazetted by the Federal Government.
Akpabio has similarly dismissed allegations regarding the tax laws, maintaining that the versions signed into law were consistent with those passed by the legislature.
According to SERAP, the alleged actions constitute breaches of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
“Where lawmaking is shaped by abuse of office and conflict of interest, it ceases to be a legitimate exercise of constitutional and fiduciary responsibility and becomes a legal and ethical infraction prohibited under the Code of Conduct for Public Officers,” the group stated.
(Guardian)
