NASS Transmits Amended Electoral Bill To Buhari For Assent

The National Assembly, on Monday, transmitted the new updated Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.

Senator Babajide Omoworare, the Senior Special Assistant to President on National Assembly (The Red Chamber) disclosed this through a statement signed by him after the transmission.

In the statement titled, ‘Transmission of the Electoral Bill 2022,’ reads, “The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Olatunde Amos Ojo, has transmitted the authenticated copies of the Electoral Bill 2022 to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on 31st January 2022.

“This was done in accordance with the provisions of Section 58 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Acts Authentication Act Cap. A2 LFN 2004.

“Mr. President had withheld assent to the Electoral Bill 2021 transmitted to him on 19th November 2021. The electoral bill was thereafter reworked by the National Assembly and both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the same on 25th January 2022.”

The National Assembly had since Tuesday last week re-amended the electoral bill for the second time by concurring on consensus candidacy and setting fresh conditions for political parties in the nomination of candidates for elections.

The President had last year December withdrawn his assent from the electoral bill and returned the Bill to the National Assembly over what he claimed as restriction of political parties to direct primary, insisting on the direct or indirect.

The House had reworked Clause Section 87 of the Electoral Act 2010, which is Clause 84 of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, by inserting the indirect primary option.

The Senate, however, not only included indirect primary but also opted for consensus adoption of candidates for elections by a political party.