Members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday staged a walkout, shouting “APC Ole,” after the adoption of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The uproar began when Rep. Bamidele Salam moved to remove the part of the bill that allows manual transmission of election results. He argued that keeping it could weaken the credibility of elections and slow Nigeria’s progress in using technology for voting.
His motion, seconded by Rep. Kingsley Chinda, was however defeated after the “nays” prevailed during a voice vote.
The decision triggered tension in the chamber, leading to a heated exchange among lawmakers.
It was gathered that Speaker Tajudeen Abbas called for an executive session to calm the situation, but the closed-door meeting did not satisfy the unhappy members.
Upon resumption of plenary, the situation escalated as some lawmakers stood up and prevented the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, from continuing proceedings.
The aggrieved members eventually walked out in protest, insisting on their opposition to Clause 60(3), which addresses the compulsory electronic transmission of election results.
