By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has backed the adoption of electronic transfer of results from voting centres to the collation centres by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in future elections.

The party called on federal legislators to shun partisanship and vote in the national interest on Section 50 (2) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which dwells on electronic transmission of results.

In a statement yesterday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said it has come to its attention that certain interests were plotting to reject electronic transfer of results on the floors of both chambers of the National Assembly today.

The PDP said it behoves on every Nigerian, particularly the federal lawmakers, to work on the improvement of the nation’s electoral processes in order to engender free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

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The party insisted that there is no part of Nigeria or any local government headquarters that communication network does not exist and function, to warrant the exclusion of electronic transmission of election results from the law.

“It is imperative to add that with the technology proposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), even where the network is slow, it does not stop the transmission process from arriving at the collation Centre.

“The PDP therefore urges the lawmakers not to allow themselves to be swayed by any one or any interest bent on conducting our election in the manipulative manner as desired by undemocratic elements.

“The party calls on all Nigerians to remain at alert and be ready to use every legitimate means available and acceptable within our laws to resist this move to further strangulate our electoral process”, the statement added.