“APC Ole” – Reps Chants As They Walk Out In Protest Over Electoral Act Amendment

There was drama in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as opposition members opposed attempts to change parts of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, especially Clause 60, which deals with the electronic transmission of election results.

The disagreement started after efforts were made to replace the version earlier approved by the House with the Senate’s own position on the matter.

The clause initially passed by the House allows election results to be sent electronically from polling units straight to a central server managed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Opposition lawmakers argued that any change to the clause would reduce transparency in future elections.

They maintained that real-time electronic transmission of results should stay in the bill without alteration.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu backed members of the ruling party who supported aligning with the Senate.

However, his position sparked loud protests from opposition lawmakers during plenary on Tuesday.

Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda and other opposition members rejected the proposed amendment, calling it anti-people.

In protest, they walked out of the session chanting “APC ole,” a Yoruba phrase that means “APC thief.”

After leaving the chamber, the lawmakers moved to the House of Representatives Media Centre to address the press.

Watch the video below:

This comes after the Senate has passed a law allowing election results to be sent electronically to the INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV.