BREAKING: Bill To Amend Electoral Act Fails Second Reading
On Wednesday, the Senate failed to pass the bill amending the Electoral Act of 2022 on its second reading.
President Muhammadu Buhari has written to both the upper and lower legislative chambers, requesting that Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 be amended to allow politicians to serve as delegates.
Buhari said that a portion of the Electoral Act prohibiting political office holders from serving as delegates of political parties during conventions was a violation of citizens’ democratic rights.
The bill was read for the first time on Tuesday, amid controversy over the Federal High Court’s decision to prohibit the amending process, which was led by Justice Inyang Ekwo.
Justice Ekwo ruled on the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) ex-parte application, ruling that the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives should not interfere with the revision of 84(12) of the Electoral Amendment Act.
However, Senate President Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan emphasized on Tuesday and Wednesday that lawmaking was within the legislative houses’ responsibilities, and that nothing should prevent them from doing so.
Senator Yahaya Abdullahi Abubakar, the Senate leader, was encouraged to study the bill on Wednesday. The bill, however, failed, and it will not be heard a third time according to legislative procedures.
