President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to the amended 2018 Electoral Act forwarded to him by the National Assembly (NASS).
The reporter, reports the amended 2018 Electoral Act seeks, among other objectives, to re-order the sequence of polls during general elections.
NASS amended section 25 of the Principal Act and substituted it with a new section 25(1).
According to the section, the elections shall be held in the following order: (a) National Assembly election (b) State Houses of Assembly and Governorship elections (c) Presidential election.
This amendment is at variance with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) elections time-table, which stipulates that Presidential and National Assembly elections were to hold first, while governorship and state assembly would follow.
Similarly, the NASS also amended section 87 by adding a new section 87(11) with a marginal note “time for primaries of political parties”.
“The primaries of political parties shall follow the following sequence (i) State House of Assembly (ii) National Assembly (iii) Governorship, and (iv), President.
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“The dates for the above stated primaries shall not be held earlier than 120 days and not later than 90 days before the date of elections to the offices.”
The House also amended section 36 to allow running mate of candidate that dies before the conclusion of elections inherit his votes and continue with the process.
Section 35 which states that if before an election a candidate dies, he will be replaced by the next contestant with the highest vote was also amended.
The amendment indicated that if a nominated candidate died in the election process, the next person from the same political party with the second highest votes in the primary election should replace the deceased.
It stated that the name of the new person should be submitted to INEC, which should accept such replacement as if the deceased was alive.
President Buhari, in a letter addressed to both chambers of the National Assembly, and read on the floor of the Senate House by Senate President Bukola Saraki today, said the amendments to the Principal Act would be in conflict with the laws establishing the INEC.
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