Senate Throws Out Buhari’s Request To Amend Electoral Act

 The upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly on Wednesday unanimously voted against the Bill seeking to amend Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on the 28th of February, 2022, written to the Senate after assenting to the Electoral Act, to amend Section 84(12) of the Act.

The Section states that “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the Convention or Congress of any political party for the nomination of candidates for any election.”

Buhari had in his letter to the Senate drawn the attention of lawmakers to the provisions of Section 84(12), which, according to him, constitutes a “defect” that conflicts with extant Constitutional provisions.

According to him, Section 84(12) of the Act constitutes a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at Conventions or Congresses of any Political Party, for the nomination of candidates for any election in cases where it holds earlier than 30 days to the Election.

All efforts, however, by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, who presided over the plenary, to ensure that the Bill passed second reading was ignored as the senators unanimously voted against the Bill.