Constitution Review: Reps To Vote Today After NIGCOMSAT Installs Electronic Voting Machine

The House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday suspended voting on
the constitution review report in order to perfect the efficiency of
the electronic voting machine (EVM).
The voting was deferred to Wednesday to enable the electronic platform
to be properly energised.
The electronic voting machine is being installed by the Nigerian
Communications Satellite Ltd. (NIGCOMSAT).
The House had exhaustively considered all the items in the report on
July 18 and resolved to vote on them onJuly 23.
However, the vote could nottake place due to the inefficiency of the
electronicvoting machine in the chambers.
Announcing the deferment of the vote, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, apologised and pleaded with
Nigerians to be patient and allow the assembly to install a perfect
voting system.
He explained that the assembly chose to use the EVM because "there is
nothing like manipulation inthe voting process.''
The speaker promised that efforts were being made to perfect the
working of the machine.
He said that the house wanted to perfect the system so as to give
Nigerians a satisfactory result.
"I seek the understanding ofevery Nigerian; we have decided to allow
the systemto work perfectly.
"What is worth doing is worth doing well, we want to take this process
in a verytransparent manner," he said.
The speaker brought the Director-General of NIGCOMSAT, Mr Ahmed Rufai,
into the chambers to brief the legislators on the state of the EVM
installation.
In his remark, Rufai gave an assurance that his organization would
install a perfect electronic voting system that would produce credible
and transparent results for Nigerians on the constitution review
report.