A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticised Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the controversy surrounding the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, calling for his removal from office.
Okonkwo made the remarks during Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, which aired on Channels Television on Sunday. He accused Akpabio of undermining democratic principles by supporting provisions he claimed encourage electoral malpractice.
According to Okonkwo, retaining such clauses places the Senate President in direct opposition to democracy and aligns him with election rigging, manipulation, falsification, and subterfuge. He added that Akpabio should either step down or be removed from office if he fails to resign voluntarily.
The Electoral Act Amendment Bill passed its third reading in the Senate last week. Clause 60(30) of the bill relates to the electronic transmission of election results. On Wednesday, the Senate opted to retain the existing provision on electronic transfer of results as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.
However, lawmakers rejected proposals for real-time transmission of results and a 10-year ban on vote buying, choosing instead to maintain penalties involving jail terms and fines.
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