The Senate urged Nigerians to be peaceful and support the processes leading to the compilation and announcement of the results of the 2023 Presidential Election in line with applicable laws.
The Senate’s decision followed the adoption of a motion on preparing for the announcement of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The motion was sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Oluribe of APC-Kwara State.
Oluribe, citing Orders 41 and 51, made the motion regarding the need for calm and appealed to political parties, stakeholders and Nigerians to abide by the applicable laws on the announcement of election results.
He said it was important for the Senate to be involved in ensuring harmony between political parties.
However, he urged all Nigerian political actors, leaders and leaders to remain calm and allow the organization and announcement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections to proceed, based on the provisions of the Elections Act.
Senator Sani Moussa (APC-Niger) said: “It is very clear that accreditation and verification should be done by BVAS.
“We do not vote electronically for this transmission to occur in real time, and a transmission can only occur after it has been posted to BVAS.
So time is not real, we are not a court of interpretation but INEC has a responsibility to stick to the guidelines.
“It’s a simple process and this process after publishing, they send it to back-end servers and then INEC can put it on IREV (INEC Election Results Portal).
“INEC has been attacked more than 160 times and no one has raised any issue about it.”
Senator Obyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti) urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to do the right thing based on the election law.
He urged Nigerians to be patient so that the Independent National Electoral Commission can complete the process while also asking the judiciary to do the right thing.
He said the judiciary should not allow itself to be drawn into election interference without going through the correct process.
However, Sen. Betty Appiaffe (DPP-Rivers) said it was wrong to bring up the issues, given the mood of the nation.
Senator Urker Jeff (PDP-Bino) has called for the motion to be rescinded, given the controversy surrounding it and the mood of Nigerians.
Sen. Adamu Polcachua (APC-Bauchi) urged the Senate to stay away from the cases due to the notable controversy over the results.
Whatever happens at the assembly center and on social media, the Senate should not be involved in it.
“We passed the election law and for goodness sake, if we don’t concede on this motion, there will be endless debate on party grounds and God knows what will result in the public domain.”
Deputy minority leader Senator Chukoka Otazi said: “I think we have discussed at length the issues involved here. As parliament, it is our duty to stabilize the political system to calm the nerves of the people who have been agitated by the result of the February 25 election.
“We are here to appeal to our people to follow the law and ask all government agencies to follow what the law says.”
“This is a very controversial issue. Everywhere tense, people are very worried.
The only way out, Senator O’Shea Akwonyfi said, was for the Independent Electoral Commission to abide by the constitution and election law.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission must abide by its guidelines, and this is the only solution,” she said.
Sen Biodun Olugimi (PDP-Ekiti) said: “This process is still ongoing and the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) must follow its own guidelines and electoral law.
“We must not ignite violence and the best way is to ask everyone to maintain peace and order while we go through this process and finish it properly.”
The Speaker of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, said in his statements that what was passed in the law was cutting the election results and transferring them to the server.
Lawan said, “In the electoral law that we passed, there is no such thing as an electoral transfer. What we went through is the transfer after all the paperwork that we normally do while the agents and everyone has the papers.
“INEC will now scan or capture the results sheets and transmit them, and we urge INEC to follow the electoral law and other laws in its guidelines.”
Lawan added, “In this room, we will not interpret electoral law, as this is not a court of law.
“We just have to direct this discussion and talk about the general principles of how these elections and announcements will be held, and there is no need to stress ourselves.
“What we are doing is urging the Independent National Electoral Commission to follow the law and urging the citizens to be calm.”
Election result: Senate debates counting process, calls for calm among Nigerians
