The House of Representatives is expected to commence debate on the general principles of a bill seeking to mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant powers to conduct Presidential and Gubernatorial Debates for candidates seeking election into the office of President and Governor of a State, respectively.

The private member bill sponsored by Hon. Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere also seeks to empower the Commission to carry out electronic transmission of results of an election as soon as the results are declared by the appropriate returning officer and for related matters.

The proponent of the bill which seeks to amend Electoral Act 2022, is seeking to provide for new section 24 as well as amend sections 62 and 68.

Clause 2 of the bill seeks to amend the Electoral Act referee to the Principal Act ?by inserting a new section 24 before the extant section 24 and renumbering as follows: (1) The Commission shall cause a Presidential and Gubernatorial Debate to be conducted for persons seeking for election into the offices of President and Governor of a State respectively, on a date to be appointed by the Commission.

?(2) A person seeking for election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, shall be required to participate in the Presidential Debates wherein he shall provide a detailed analysis of his manifesto and the plans he intends to carry out if elected as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

?(3) A person for election to the office of Governor of a State shall be required to participate in the Gubernatorial Debates, wherein he shall provide a detailed analysis of his manifesto and the plans he intends to carryout if elected as Governor of the State.?

Clause 3 which seeks to amend section 62 ?by inserting a new subsection (1) before the extant subsection 1 and altering subsections 2 and 3 as follows:

62. (1) After the recording and announcement of the result, the presiding officer shall immediately transmit, and upload the result so recorded and announced into the website, dashboard, server, or portal, whichever is applicable, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) electronically.

?Before doing so, the polling agents of the candidates at an election shall be required to certify that the results to be transmitted and uploaded are the true and correct results of the votes as already recorded and announced.

?(2) After the recording, announcement, transmission, and uploading of the result, the presiding officer shall deliver same along with election materials under security and accompanied by the candidates or their polling agents, where available, to such person as may be prescribed by the Commission.

?(3) The Commission shall compile, maintain, and update, on a continuous basis, a register of election results to be known as the National Electronic Register of Election Results which shall be a distinct database or repository of polling units by polling unit results, including collated election results, of each election conducted by the Commission in the Federation, and the Register of Election Results shall be kept in electronic format by the Commission at its national headquarters and shall be stored on its website, dashboard, server, or portal, whichever is applicable.

?(4) Any person or political party may obtain from the Commission, on payment of such fees as may be determined by the Commission, a certified true copy of any election result kept in the National Electronic Register of Election Results for a State, Local Government, Area Council, registration area or Electoral Ward or Polling Unit, as the case may be, and the certified true copy shall be in printed and electronic format.?

The proponent of the bill also seeks to amend section 68 which stipulates that: ?(1) The Commission shall cause to be posted on its notice board, dashboard, website, server, or portal, whichever is applicable, a notice showing the candidates at the election and their scores, and the person declared as elected or returned at the election.

?(2) The notice showing the candidates at the election and their scores, and the person declared as elected or returned at the election, as provided in subsection 1 of this section shall be posted on the Commissions notice board, dashboard, website, server, or portal, as the case maybe, contemporaneously,? it read (Nigerian Tribune)

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