By Ben Ogbemudia and Enyo Ojo Abuja
Finally, the harmonised version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was yesterday passed by the Senate after three weeks break.

This was after due consideration of the report of the Conference Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on the bill.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on October 13, constituted a seven-man conference committee to meet their counterparts in the House of Representatives to harmonise the differences in the Senate and House versions of the bill.

The Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, who chaired the conference committee, presented the report on the harmonised version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

In his presentation, Abdullahi said the bill when passed by the National Assembly, and subsequently assented to by the President, would regulate the conduct of Federal, State, and Area Councils elections including the Federal Capital Territory.

He disclosed that the Conference Committee at its retreat, considered and adopted 21 clauses in the bill.

“It is imperative to point out that with the successful harmonisation of this bill, a process that started from the 7th Assembly through to the 8th National Assembly has now been completed by the 9th National Assembly. The bill is now ready for passage and Presidential assent.

“I am happy to state that most of what we call “citizens’ top priorities” in the Electoral Act Amendment, including the use of technology, have been addressed by the Electoral Bill, 2021,” the Senate Leader said.

The chamber on October 13 re-amended certain aspects of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill contained in Clauses 43, 52, 63, and 87, respectively.

The re-amendment to the clauses was duly carried out amid a motion for re-committal sponsored by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi.

Accordingly, while adopting the conference committee report yesterday, the Senate approved the re-amended clauses to provide for direct primaries for aspirants to all elective positions.

It also empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Clause 63 to determine the procedure for voting and transmission of results during an election.

Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has kicked against the adoption of direct primaries.

The party said it got the news of the decision with shock, saying that parties should be free to determine how to elect their candidates.

In a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said, “The PDP has received the news of the passage of the harmonised electoral act amendment bill, which among other things, provided for direct primaries for nomination of candidates for elections by political parties.

“It is the inalienable right of each political party, within the context of our constitutional democracy, to decide its form of internal democratic practices including the processes of nominating its candidates for elections at any level.”

Yobe Gov. inaugurates 21-member education appeal fund committee

The statement added that no political party should force its processes on any other political party as the direct primaries amendment, a practice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sought to achieve.

“Having stated this, the PDP shall, within the next 48 hours, make its final decision in respect of this amendment known.”