Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has appealed to members of the National Assembly to bequeath to Nigeria a credible electoral process by ensuring the passage of the bill guaranteeing electronic transmission of election results.
Tambuwal in a statement Monday, urged the lawmakers to be guided by the wishes of their constituents who should be ultimate arbiters in a democracy.
The governor, who said he was obliged to added his voice to the debate on electronic transmission of results “not as the Vice Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, nor as Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, not even as the governor of Sokoto State but as a Nigerian citizen and former Speaker of the House of Representatives,” noted that it is in the national interest to bequeath to Nigeria an Electoral Act that will contribute to free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria irrespective of party platform.
He reminded the lawmakers that a person who may be in the ruling party today might be in the opposition party tomorrow.
According to him: “We have also experienced situations where party leaders would want to frustrate the re-election of a sitting member, even in the same political party.
“What guarantees the re-election of a member of the National Assembly or indeed any other contestant should be his performance and appeal, not the dictates of any godfather either as governor, president or party leader or stakeholder.”
He recalled last year’s Edo and Ondo State governorship elections where electronic transmission of votes cast from the unit level ensured that the voters’ wishes were respected.