JUST IN: Reps Align With Senate, Amend Electoral Act For Statutory Delegates

Members of the House of Representatives at plenary

The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, passed an amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 to recognise statutory delegates at primaries, congresses, and conventions of political parties.

The passage was in concurrence with the Senate which had earlier on Tuesday held an emergency session to correct what the House called a “fundamental error.”

The National Assembly passed the bill for the Act while the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), signed it into law.

While political parties are close to conducting primaries to elect candidates for the 2023 general elections, the Act did not provide for members elected into public offices and executives of the parties, known as statutory delegates, to participate and vote in the conventions, congresses or meetings of parties.

Without the provision by the law, Buhari; the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN); members of the National Assembly, governors and their deputies, members of the State Houses of Assembly, chairmen of local government areas, councillors, executives of political parties, amongst others, would have been disenfranchised.

Resuming from break on Tuesday, the Senate amended Section 84(8) of the Act, passing the first, second, and third reading at a sitting

Also, Clerk to the House, Dr Yahaya Danzaria, had issued a notice on Tuesday, recalling members from recess to reconvene for plenary on Wednesday, though sitting was adjourned till May 24, 2022.

The notice had partly read, “This session has become necessary especially as to amend a fundamental error in the Electoral Act.”