http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=06/01/2006&qrTitle=2007:%20Senate%20prohibits%20e-voting&qrColumn=FRONT%20PAGE

The Tide Online

2007: Senate prohibits e-voting

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi • Thursday, Jun 1, 2006

As both chambers of the National Assembly concur on the Electoral Bill 2006 as passed by the Upper and Lower Chambers, the Senate yesterday adopted the provision of section 53 (1)b of the House of Representatives version of the Electoral Bill 2006; prohibiting the use of Electronic Voting Machine in elections.

The section of the Bill reads: “The use of Electronic Voting System or Machine or any other method other than the method prescribed in sub clause (1)(9) of this section be prohibited.”

The Senate also approved the recommendation of 150 days time lag for submission of party nominees list before the date appointed for elections.

As the contentious material in the section 53(1)b was resolved, the Electoral Bill 2006 will soon be on the table of President Olusegun Obasanjo for his assent.

According to the chairman of the joint conference committee on the Electoral Bill, 2006, Senator David Cobin Brigidi, the committee had worked continuously on the bill to avoid possible pitfalls that could engender litigation, bearing in mind the holes picked in the previous Electoral Act, 2002.

The Tide Online is published by Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, 4 Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.