Senate stands down consideration of Electoral Act repeal, enactment bill

This followed the adoption of a motion moved by the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti) and seconded by the Minority Leader, Sen. Abba Moro (PDP- Benue) at plenary on Thursday.

Opeyemi expressed the belief that the time was not auspicious for the senate to go into executive session to discuss the bill.

He said that it was his conviction that there was the need for further consultations on the bill before proceeding further.

The senator also stressed the need for lawmakers to fully understand the general principles and details of the bill, hence the motion for postponement of further consideration to another legislative date.

Before the bill was stood down, the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Sen. Simon Lalong (APC-Plateau), had presented its general principles.

According to him, the bill is not a mere amendment, but a comprehensive reform, repeal and enactment, intended to provide Nigeria with a strong, more credible and more inclusive electoral framework.

Lalong said that even though the electoral act 2022 delivered some landmark results and provided some marked innovations, it also exposed deep flaws in the country’s electoral system.

This, he said, revolved around critical gaps, delays in the release of election funds, disputes over voter register, conflicting interpretations of result transmission as well as widespread litigations from party primaries and weak enforcement of electoral offences.

He said that Nigerians expected the senate to respond, not with mere corrections, but with a holistic law that would restore faith in the country’s elections, going forward.

Lalong said that the key objective of the proposed legislation was to bring about improvement in the electoral process by ensuring transparency, efficiency and integrity of the electoral system.

He also said that the legislation was aimed at ensuring free and fair competition, where all political parties would have equal rights and ensuring that the outcomes of elections reflect the will of the people and reduce electoral malpractices by setting stricter punitive measures.

This, he said, would serve as deterrents to electoral malpractices and ultimately enhance voters’ confidence and participation in elections.

He said that the bill also had the objective of further strengthening the independence of INEC by insulating it from incessant and unnecessary interference from the government and political parties.

Lalong further stated that the bill would ensure continuous voter registration, introduction of digital registers of results, QR code, voter IDs and more robust procedures for electronic transmission of results.

“It sets stricter timelines and clearer rules for party primaries, candidate nomination and replacement in cases of death or withdrawal.

“It is about strengthening the very foundation of democracy. If we get it right, we will restore public trust, reduce post-election disputes and empower INEC to function without interference,” he said. (NAN)