Morka Defends National Assembly’s Handling of Electronic Transmission in Electoral Act

The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has thrown his weight behind the National Assembly’s recent amendments to the Electoral Act, particularly regarding the real-time electronic transmission of results, describing the legislators’ approach as pragmatic.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Monday, Morka addressed the controversy surrounding the passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026. President Bola Tinubu signed the bill into law less than 24 hours after it was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, a swift action that has drawn criticism from some quarters.

Morka argued that the decision on electronic transmission was made after careful consideration of the nation’s technological landscape.

“The Senate and the House of Representatives, in passing the Electoral Act, were being very pragmatic and realistic, taking into account the state of address of communication technology in our country,” Morka stated.

He further emphasized that the amendment process was not dominated by the ruling party but was a product of collective input from all political parties represented in the legislature. “The All Progressives Congress, APC, is not the only party in our National Assembly. We have other parties there,” he noted. “So whatever the outcome of deliberations… must be considered as the output of the combined effort and collective will of all members of the legislature.”

To illustrate the infrastructure challenges facing the country, the APC spokesman shared a personal experience from Asaba, Delta State. He recounted struggling to secure a stable network connection to participate in the television interview, suggesting that the technological reality in many parts of Nigeria differs from that in major cities like Lagos and Abuja.

“We must be realistic as a people,” Morka urged. “I don’t know whether Nigerians assume that whatever is going on in Lagos or in Abuja is the same in the rest of the country in terms of facilities.”

While acknowledging the public’s desire for a fully electronic system, he stated, “I, too, wish it were different. I wish all of the connectivity issues were sorted so that we can upload real-time electronic transmission of election results.”