The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has faulted the Senate’s refusal to mandate the electronic transmission of election results, describing the decision as a setback to electoral transparency and democratic accountability.

The position was contained in an executive report presented by the NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), at the association’s National Executive Council meeting held in Maiduguri, Borno State, yesterday.

Osigwe told the council that the Senate had rejected a proposed amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically transmit polling unit results in real time.

“Yesterday, the Senate rejected a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill aimed at compelling the electronic transmission of election results,” the NBA President said.

According to him, the rejected amendment would have required INEC presiding officers to upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal immediately after Form EC8A had been signed and stamped.