Electoral Act: Lawmakers to conclude amendment before December

The National Assembly has pledged to complete the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 before the end of the year.

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this in a statement issued by his media office on Tuesday.

Mr Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, explained that the previous assembly had attempted to amend the electoral law but could not secure presidential assent because the process was concluded too close to the 2023 general elections.

He assured that the current assembly would avoid a repeat of that delay, noting that the Committee on Constitution Review is already finalising the amendment process before presenting it to the two chambers for approval and thereafter forward it to the president for approval.

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“Before then, we had made our first proposal. We sent the bill to the then president, and it was signed. When further observations were made especially when certain people were disenfranchised as statutory delegates and the National Assembly wanted to make corrections, late former President Muhammadu Buhari said the bill was coming too close to election.

“And late President Buhari then observed that he did not want to be misunderstood by the public. That is why the bill was not signed then. Between now and December 2025, we will ensure that the amendment of the Electoral Act, 2022 is concluded so that it will not be too close to the 2027 Elections,” he said.

Several Nigerians have criticised some provisions of the Constitution, which has been in use since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999. The criticisms came in the light of the rapid technological, social, and political developments in Nigeria.

Since 1999, the National Assembly has altered the document five times, though some items proposed for amendment were defeated at the state legislatures.

Huge sums have also been expended for the exercise with the federal legislature budgeting separately for it.

The current review, chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, began with a retreat in Kano and proceeded to hold simultaneous zonal public hearings in each of the six geopolitical zones in July.

On Monday, the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Electoral Matters held a public hearing where stakeholders discussed various proposed amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act.

Among the proposals is one seeking to make the use of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) non-compulsory for voters. The proposed amendment to Sections 18 and 47 says that since the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) does not rely on the PVC’s microchip, other forms of identification such as the National Identification Number (NIN), international passport, or birth certificate should also be acceptable for voting.

Another major proposal seeks to amend Section 60(5) to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory, while Section 71(2) is proposed to criminalise the distribution of unstamped or unsigned ballot papers and result sheets.

The suggested penalty includes at least one year imprisonment or a fine of ₦1 million, or both, for any presiding or collation officer found guilty.

Governors show interest

Mr Bamidele expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would assent to the amendments once concluded, referencing strong interest and collaboration from key stakeholders, including state governors.

“The present review would scale through because relevant stakeholders, especially Nigerian Governors Forum and Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, were meaningfully engaged in the overriding public interests.

“I do not envisage that there will be any resistance because public institutions are working with the National Assembly for the successful review of the 1999 Constitution. In this amendment, global best practices will also be taken into consideration in the area of domestication of international treaties and agreements.”

READ ALSO: Electoral Act: Nigerian lawmakers propose non-compulsory use of PVCs for voting

Responding to criticisms from the opposition, Mr Bamidele said it is expected that opposition parties would continue to challenge the government’s efforts.

“Part of what they will love to see is to see the ruling party fighting on a daily basis, throwing out correspondences from the presidency or whatever is coming from the executive. That is what will make them happy. But our focus is on rebuilding Nigeria, stabilising our polity and growing our economy. And we will never be distracted from this goal,” he said.