A member of the House Committee on Electoral Affairs, Fred Agbedi, has stated that disruptions during the deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment were caused by the denial of members’ rights to be heard.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, he accused the leadership of the House of Representatives of turning deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment into a partisan exercise and marginalising minority lawmakers.
He argued that the legislative process should accommodate different views.
He said, “In the lawmaking process, the people have their opinion. The beauty of democracy is that the majority will have their way while the minority will have their say.
“When you ignore members who raise points of order, that is what causes rowdiness. We all have equal rights, and when I speak, I am speaking for my people.”
Agbedi further claimed that the debate initially cut across party lines but later became polarised when members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were allegedly directed to vote as a bloc.
“At the beginning, there were no party lines; people believed the real-time transmission provision was good enough and reflected what Nigerians wanted. But when the majority party felt threatened, division was used, and APC members were called to one side of the House,” he added.
He maintained that the outcome of the process did not reflect public expectations, adding that both lawmakers and citizens were “defrauded” by the final position.