The Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, has pushed back against comments by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, urging him to limit his remarks to the business of the National Assembly and not speak on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mark made the remarks on Saturday in Abuja while speaking at the public presentation of “The Burdens of Legislators in Nigeria,” a book authored by former Senator Effiong Bob. The event was held at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre, Kado.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the proposed amendments, the ADC chairman said the central issue before the country is not whether INEC currently has the capacity to transmit election results electronically, but whether the law should clearly permit it.
According to him, public expectations are unambiguous and should guide legislative action.
“Let INEC decide whether they can do it or not. Don’t speak for INEC. Speak for the National Assembly. What the public wants is, let there be electronic transmission. If INEC cannot do it, that is their problem, not ours,” Mark said.
He argued that debates over INEC’s technical readiness amount to a distraction, stressing that the National Assembly’s responsibility is to create a legal framework that enables real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Mark maintained that once the law is passed, the obligation to implement it would rest squarely with the electoral umpire, insisting that lawmakers should not preempt or substitute INEC’s statutory role.
The intervention adds to the growing national conversation on electoral reforms, as stakeholders intensify calls for stronger transparency measures ahead of future elections.
