Nathaniel Zaccheaus
A spokesperson for the Senate, Senator Ajibola Basiru, has assured President Muhammad Buhari that the National Assembly will amend the contentious clause 84 of the 2010 Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2022.
The bill, which had undergone a series of amendments in recent times, was finally signed into law on Friday by Buhari.
The President, however, asked the federal lawmakers to carry out further legislative action on the contentious clause because it was at variance with the nation’s constitution.
Specifically, Clause 84 stipulates that “anyone holding a political office – ministers, commissioners, special advisers, and others – must relinquish the position before they can be eligible to participate in the electoral process either as a candidate or as a delegate.”
However, the Senate spokesperson promised in a statement on Friday that the federal Parliament would take necessary legislative actions to correct the anomaly.
He said, “The Senate has taken notice of Section 84(12) of the Act, especially the concerns raised by Mr. President, and assured Nigerians that the National Assembly will give the section the desired legislative attention.”
Basiru expressed the appreciation of the Senate to Buhari for signing the Electoral Bill.
He said the piece of legislation had now become the legislative framework for the conduct of elections in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity also congratulated the 9th Assembly for the innovative provisions in the Electoral Act.
He said the law had addressed obvious lapses that had been inhibiting credible elections in Nigeria.
He identified the conduct of primaries, campaign expenses, use of technological devices in elections, electronic transmission of results, review results declared by an electoral officer under duress as some of the reforms introduced that will ensure the credibility of elections in Nigeria.
Some provisions of the Act included Section 29(1) which stipulates that parties must conduct primaries and submit their list of candidates at least 180 days before the general elections.
Also, Section 65 states that INEC can review results declared under duress.
Section 3(3) states that funds for general elections must be released at least one year before the election.
Section 51 says that the total number of accredited voters will become a factor in determining over-voting at election tribunals.
Section 54(2) makes provisions for people with disabilities and special needs.
Section 47 gives legislative backing for smart card readers and any other voter accreditation technology that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deploys.
Section 34 gives political parties the power to conduct a primary election to replace a candidate who died during an election.
Section 50 gives INEC the legal backing for electronic transmission of election results.
Lastly, Section 94 allows for early commencement of the campaign season. By this provision, the campaign season will now start 150 days to the election day and end 24 hours before the election.
