The Special Adviser to the President on Political matters, Babafemi Ojudu, has stated that there is no plan to rig the 2023 election with the legislative rejection of transmission of results electronically by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Senate had on Thursday, while deliberating on the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill, voted that the commission should seek the permission of the National Assembly and the National Communications Commission.
The senators, who voted against the report the committee, made their stance on technical issues that may arise in some parts of the country.
They voted that: “The Commission may consider electronic transmission of results, provided the national coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the National Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.”
Addressing the development at the weekend, Ojudu called for consideration of the issues raised by the lawmakers.
Ojudu, while addressing journalists shortly after presenting an award to a former governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedon, spoke at International Conference Centre, Abuja, during an investiture of the 12th President of Rotary Club of Abuja Metro, Dupe Abosede.
He said, “Well, I don’t know why that happened, but I guess listening to the debate on the floor, listening to the NCC officials who came, it could just be as a result of technical considerations.
“They are saying that in some parts of the country, connectivity could be very slow, connectivity could be very unreliable, and if you have to move the results to another area where there is connectivity, something could happen on the way.
“And I think they also raised the issues of hackers, that even in America, with its technological perfection, hackers hacked results in some parts of America during the last election. I think that could have been the consideration for that. I have no personal opinion about that, but that is their decision.”
Quizzed about Nigerians who are saying that the APC rejected e-transmission because it wants to rig elections, Ojudu said, “No o…!!! We don’t have to rig. We will go out and vigorously campaign.
“There is no belief that APC is a party that rigs elections. If we do, we wouldn’t have allowed the PDP to have Zamfara, Bauchi, Adamawa, Oyo, and others. That couldn’t have happened under the PDP.”
