Electoral Act Amendment: Senate didn’t disappoint us -House spokesman

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

Chairman the House of Repressntives Committee on Media and Public Affairs Hon. Benjamin Kalu has said that the Senate the upper legislative institution of the National Assembly did not disappoint the lower chamber on the just concluded amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 passed by the apex parliament.

Kalu spoke at a press briefing on the amendment at a the House Press Corps where he lauded the decision of the upper legislative chamber to stick to the 180 days provided in the new Act for political parties to field their candidates before election.

He said that the House had reconvened on Wednesday May 11,2022 primarily to reconsider the amendment because it was good for the stability of the nation’s democracy.

He further hinted that the constitution of most political parties has provision to the effect that President and ex-presidents and their deputies, governors and and ex-govenors and their deputies, lawmkers and ex-lawmakers and other officer holders are delegates at the primaries of parties.

He added that section 84 (8) of the Act would disenfranchise some people who ordinarily should be automatic delegates in the primaries of political parties.

He said:” the amendment today is for the House to properly look into this and have this section amended to make these set of people automatic delegates in primaries of political parties”.

He lauded the decision of the Senate which had earlier declined to pass the same section of the Electoral Act that removed the clause 84 (8) to the original Act

Meanwhile, the House almost snowballed into a rowdy session at the voting on the amendment to the piece of legislation earlier passed in both chambers.

It all happened at the plenary when the Deputy Speaker Hon.Idris Wase put the amendment to a voice vote and the  ‘nays’ voted overwhelming against it.

Wase later appealed to the conscience of the lawmakers asking them to consider that most political parties constitution had adopted the issue in the provisions in their constitution.

He thereafter put up the amendment to a second  voice vote and the lawmakers voted for its inclusion into the new law.