Senate rejects Buhari’s new Electoral Act Amendment Bill

PRESIDENT BUHARI SIGNS ELECTORAL BILL INTO LAW. L-R: SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha; Chairman, House committee on INEC, Hon. Aisha Dukku; President Muhammadu Buhari; President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya, during the signing of Electoral Bill into Law at the State House Abuja. February 25th, 2022

The Senate on Wednesday rejected President Muhammdu Buhari’s Bill seeking to amend the recently passed Electoral Act, 2022.

The Bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act 2022 and for related matters, 2022,” was rejected overwhelmingly by senators at second reading.

The bill had successfully passed the first reading.

But it was thrown out on Wednesday.

Senators spoke against the bill.

In the new bill, Buhari is seeking amendment of Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2022.

The President had while signing the 2022 Electoral Amendment Bill on February 25, complained that the provision constituted fundamental defect, saying it was in conflict with extant constitutional provisions.

According to him, section 84 (12) constitutes a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at conventions or congresses of any political party.

This, he said, was for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election in cases where it holds earlier than 30 days to the national election.

The section reads: “No political appointee at any level shall be voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

He stated that the provision introduced qualification and disqualification criteria that ultra vires the Constitution by way of importing blanket restriction and disqualification.

This he said was basically for serving political office holders of which they were constitutionally accorded protection.

The Federal High Court had on Tuesday March 7, stopped Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation and the National Assembly from tampering with the newly amended Electoral Act 2022.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on an ex parte application by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agreed that the electoral act had become a valid law and could not be tampered with without following due process.

Ekwo held that the proper place to challenge validity of any existing law was in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Details later…

The Star

Editor