Voting device stalls House of Reps’ proceedings

ABUJA — THE much orchestrated electronic voting on the constitution review report, yesterday, stalled proceedings in the House of Representatives as members adjourned to start afresh today, following malfunctioning of the device.

Indications that the proposed voting on the report would fail emerged when the House resolved to have a closed door session before plenary.

On investigation, Vanguard discovered that NIGCOMSAT, a government agency had volunteered to install a software that would enable members vote electronically.

Tambuwal

But after installation and the distribution of Joyless powered by MTN, the device failed to work.

During the closed door session, Vanguard reliably gathered that members were angry when they discovered that the device had repeatedly failed.

A source told Vanguard that “despite assurances the agency gave us that it would work, the device woefully failed. “

Another source revealed that “eventually after several attempts, we succeeded in test-running it at about 2.15pm”.

”We had no choice than to adjourn till tomorrow (today) to enable us vote without hitches. “

Minority Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, reacting to the failed electronic device, said:  “ We were unable to get our system to work.

“So, we are trying to improvise and look for other ways to do it. And we brought NIGCOMSAT to help us but the system they brought did not carry it, so we shifted to tomorrow (today).

Meanwhile the various state and zonal caucauses held late night meetings on Monday to articulate the way they would have voted yesterday.

Action Congress of Nigeria, AC N, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and ANPP also held nocturnal meetings on Monday night.

The Peoples   Democratic Party, PDP, because of its large membership, had to go underground as nobody knew where they held their meeting.

But a source close to the House leadership disclosed that all the meetings would fail if the party members refused to vote along the dictates of the people’s public sessions held across the country last year.

He said:   “On Wednesday, all these long stories would come to an end as constituents would now know their true representatives.

”The voting pattern would not be regional, rather it would be based on sentiments of certain powerful people.”