House of Representatives was unable to pass clause by clause the recommendations of the review of the 1999 constitution due to some technical hitches caused by the non functioning of the electronic voting machines installed in 2011.
Despite the last minutes efforts made by the Nigeria Communication Satellite [NIGCOMSAT] to salvage the ugly situation by providing 369 Ipad tablets that would empower the machines could not save the situation due to the inability of members to make use of the Ipad
The provider of the Ipad, NIGCOMSAT was said to have lectured members for over four hours at the executive session hoping that they would get use to it but some members were said to have complained that their Ipad were not charged while others claimed that there was no internet in their Ipad for them to make use of it.
The House had already fixed yesterday for the passage of the recommendations of the reviewed constitution like full glare of the public line their senate counterparts but when the machine was put to use last Monday, it was discovered that it was not working, later the NIGCOMSAT was contacted by the House management before it was resolved that the Ipad tablets would do the magic.
It was gathered that immediately, NIGCOMSAT was contacted to provide 369 Ipad which would be used by members for the voting, but frantic efforts were made yesterday by the engineers of the NIGCOMSAT to put members through, but when it was obvious that it would not work, the speaker of the House, Hon Aminu Tambuwal announced that the voting on the passage of the amendment would be commence today.
The electronic voting machine which was installed in the sixth assembly was put to use for the constitution amendment, but it was gathered that since the installation of the machine there have never be a time the machine was serviced unlike the senate despite the fact that money was voted for the servicing of the machine.
When it was imperative for the usage of the machine, the leadership order the House management to make the machine ready, it was at the point, it was gathered that the NIGCOMSAT was contacted to come to the rescue, but unfortunately the Ipad was a bit difficult for some members to handle.
Addressing members on the floor of the House on the use of Ipad, the director general of NIGCOMSAT, Engr. Mohammed el-Rufai explained that his agency has develop a parallel voting system and configured a software, adding that 360 Ipads tablets were imported from Lagos yesterday, the system is now perfectly in order and tested okay for voting.
