By Igho Akeregha, Abuja Bureau Chief
The Senate Wednesday deleted the controversial Clause 84 of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021, which only provided for a direct primary mode for political parties to produce their candidates.
The Senate however introduced a new clause stipulating conditions that must be met for any political party opting for the indirect primary.
The decision of the upper chamber followed the recommittal of the Bill by the Senate leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, at plenary on Wednesday.
According to Abdullahi, the concern of President Muhammadu Buhari on the Bill was the provision of only the direct primary for political parties in choosing their candidates.
By deleting clause 84 of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021, political parties now have three options of choosing their candidates for elections.
The new options proposed in the new legislation are Direct, Indirect and Concensus methods of selecting candidates by political parties.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who clarified the position of the Senate, said the red chamber will clean up the Bill to include the new options.
The last quarter of 2021 witnessed tension as many Nigerians who expected the President to assent to the law became furious when the November 19, 2021 deadline stipulated by law elapsed.
There was no communication from the President until December 21, 2021 when the Senate officially received and read the President’s communication rejecting the electoral bill.
Buhari’s letter which was read on the floor of the Senate on 21 December, 2021 was dated December 13, 2021. This had raised questions on the sincerity of both the executive and the legislature on the new electoral legal framework many said will help the country’s electoral process and credibility.
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The new document will now be transmitted to the President this week for his assent as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on Tuesday maintained that it was delaying release of the Electoral timetable because of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021.
