The House of Representatives has passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, maintaining the controversial Clause 52(2) as presented.

The clause allows the Independent National Electoral Commission to determine when, where and how voting and transmission of results will be done.

Clause 52(2) reads, “Voting at an election and transmission of result under this bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the commission.”

The house adopted electronic and manual transmission of election results.

The contentious issue in the legislation is the transmission of election results electronically.

The senate passed the bill on Thursday but approved that the “Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) must certify that national coverage is adequate and secure while the national assembly must approve before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can transmit election results”.

However, the lower chamber approved that “the Commission may transmit results of the election through electronic means where and when practicable”.

The bill was passed after the minority caucus staged a walkout.

Earlier when the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill was done, the house skipped clause 52 to be revisited after all other clauses had been considered.

After the clauses of the bill were considered, Ndudi Elumelu, minority leader of the house, raised a point of order that clause 52 of the bill which stipulates the method of transmission of result be considered.

But Idris Wase, deputy speaker who presided over the sitting, said the clause can only be reconsidered if a motion of rescission on it is moved.

Elumelu argued that there was no need for rescission since the clause was not ruled on.

However, Wase said the decision on clause 52 had already been taken.

At this point, the minority caucus protested and walked out of the chamber.

TheCable had reported how chaos erupted at the green chamber during the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill.

The senate committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it studied the mood of citizens to reject the nomination of Lauretta Onochie, presidential aide, as a commissioner of the electoral body.

In a plenary session on Tuesday, Kabiru Gaya, chairman of the committee, said they would not recommend the confirmation of Onochie because May Agbamuche, a commissioner from Delta state, is still serving at the commission and she hails from the same state as Onochie.

Subsequently, the presidential aide was rejected by senators when her confirmation was put to vote.

Onochie was nominated for the job by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2020.

Her nomination sparked outrage over concerns that she is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but the presidential aide said she resigned her membership of the ruling party in 2019.

Speaking with reporters, Gaya said because Agbamuche is still serving, his committee was unable to confirm her.

The chairman said: “We studied the mood of Nigerians. We could not approve the appointment of Onochie because she is from the same state as an INEC commissioner from Delta State, Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu, whose tenure may expire by December this year.

“Agbamuche-Mbu is still serving in INEC till December this year. That’s why we cannot clear another candidate from the state.

“President Buhari actually specified her (Agbamuche) state, which is Delta, in the letter.

“Also, during her confirmation by the 8th Senate, I was there when two senators from Delta, Messrs Ovie Omo-Agege and James Manager, stood up to congratulate the Senate for confirming her.

“We also got records from the past senate screening that Agbamuche-Mbu was a nominee from Delta state.”

The Senate on Tuesday rejected the confirmation of Lauretta Onochie as a National Commissioner of the INEC.

Chairman of the Committee, Kabiru Gaya, in his report said Onochie did not satisfy the provisions of the Federal Character Principles.

The Senate at the committee of the whole subsequently voted against her nomination.

Details later.