A new Bill for An Act to amend the provisions of the Electoral Act for a reordered sequence of 2019 elections suffered a set back in the National Assembly on Wednesday as the Bill was withdrawn for more legislative inputs after facing opposition from federal lawmakers.
President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier vetoed the Amended Electoral Act which re-ordered the 2019 election with the Presidential election billed to come last after those of National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and the governorship elections. While refusing to give his assent to the Bill, the President said the inserted section in the electoral act violated the provisions of section 72 of the 1999 Constitution which empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix dates of elections and see to its conduct in all ramifications.
The passage of the Electoal Act Amendment Bill had snowballed to controversy as some Senators led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC Nasarawa West) including the suspended Senator Ovie Omo- Agege (APC Delta Central) protested against the provision, on the basis that it was anti-Buhari.
Leading debate on the new Bill, titled: ” A Bill for an Act to amend the provisions of the Electoral Act to make provisions for sequence of elections in Nigeria and for related matters”, the Chairman , Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif said the new reordered sequence of elections would start with Governorship/State Houses of Assembly elections, followed by the National Assembly election and Presidential election last.
But many Senators opposed the New Bill and vehemently kicked against it, a development which made the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu to intervene by reverting it to the committee for more legislative inputs. First to kick against the bill, was the Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe North) who said he totally and comprehensively disagreed with the provision.
The Senate leader said the right thing is not to legislate for new sequence of elections but to support INEC in the conduct of the elections. Senator Kabiru Marafa (APC Zamfara Central) also kicked against against the bill said, stressing that, “This bill will further divide us. It is unnecessary and we should not go to that I don’t want us to finish the way we started ” The Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio kicked against it, stressing that; “When we initially did the first one that president sent to us, I believe strongly that the National Assembly has the powers to fix sequence of election in the law as opposed to dates, all the judgments so far have talked about dates.
“INEC has the rights to fix dates for election but in terms of sequence of election, I believe we can legislate on it. But my disagreement with the bill is that we cannot aprobate and reprobate, as a Senate, we are distinguished people and we must not speak with both sides of our mouth.
“The sequence that is proposed here is such that not only has it taken us backwards it shows that we look confused”. Senator Olushola Adeyeye (APC, Osun Central) and the Chief Whip of the Senate voiced opposition to the Bill describing it as unconstitutional.
He said: “As vice chairman of Senate Committee on INEC, I state categorically that I totally oppose this bill. There cannot be sequence of elections unless there are dates. And if INEC is given the prerogative to choose and INEC chooses to put one day before the other, let us leave things as they are.
“INEC in the past chose their dates, and INEC in the 8th National Assembly must be given the respect again to choose their dates. Anything else in my opinion is legislative rascality” In a related development, the House of Representatives on Wednesday, suspended consideration of the bill aimed at amending the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 to make provision for sequence of elections that would hold in 2019.
This non-consideration of the bill followed a request by the sponsor of the bill, Hon Edward Pwajok withdrawing the bill. The bill was listed as item four in the order paper and was slated for second reading. It listed seven other lawmakers as co-sponsors of the now controversial legislation.
Interestingly, while Hon Pwajok moved to withdraw the bill, some lawmakers vehemently opposed the move. In spite of the confusion trailing the withdrawal, the presiding officer, Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon Yussuf Lasun, intervened and said that the sponsor of the bill had the right to withdraw it.
“Let us remind ourselves that the mover of the motion has the right to ask the presiding officer to step down his bill and this is what Pwajok has exercised,’’ Lasun said. Meanwhile, the Majority Leader of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila who was listed as a one of the co-sponsors, denied knowledge of the bill. Gbajabiamila said “I don’t know anything about this bill and for the records, I will like the secretariat to take note of that’’.
