Senate won’t bow to pressure over e-transmission debate — Spokesman

The Senate has declared that it will not succumb to intimidation or public pressure over its handling of the controversy surrounding the real-time electronic transmission of election results.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, made this known on Tuesday while speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where he defended the red chamber’s position on the recent amendment to the Electoral Act.

The Senate had earlier amended Section 60 of the Electoral Act, empowering presiding officers at polling units to electronically transmit election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Results Viewing Portal (IREV).

Responding to criticisms trailing the move, Adaramodu insisted that the upper legislative chamber remains focused on its constitutional duty and would not be swayed by sentiments or external attacks.

According to him, legislative business is a serious undertaking that cannot be reduced to populist theatrics.

“We are not worried. We cannot be intimidated and we should not be intimidated,” he said. “In Nigeria, and in every healthy democracy, there will always be diverse opinions and competing ideas. What is important is that all views are heard and considered in the course of lawmaking.”

He stressed that the Senate’s decisions are guided by deliberation and democratic principles, not pressure from interest groups or public outcry.

The amendment has continued to generate mixed reactions from political actors and civil society groups, with debates intensifying over the role of technology in ensuring transparent elections.