The House of Representatives will reintroduce the rejected Electoral Act Amendment Bill on Wednesday, January 19, the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila said on Tuesday.
President Muhamadu Buhari had declined assent to the bill because Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010 seeks to “delete the provision for the conduct of indirect primaries in the nomination of party candidates such that party candidates can henceforth only emerge through direct primaries”.
Gbajabiamila in his address to lawmakers at the resumption of plenary for the 2022 legislative year yesterday, said the House will work quickly to address the mitigating concerns, pass the bill and send it back to President Buhari for assent.
“A credible electoral law is what the people want. It is what the people deserve, and we must give to them. The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill includes many other provisions that will serve our democracy well, and we cannot throw away the baby with the bathwater.
“That bill did not receive presidential assent, and it is unlikely that it will in its current form. Now, we have to choose between sticking to our guns regarding the provision to mandate direct primary elections for political parties or reworking that provision to save the rest of the bill.
“Let it be clear to all, our only objective in introducing that provision was to strengthen the foundations of our democracy so that it works for all of our nation’s people. The process by which political parties nominate candidates for election is essential, perhaps, as important as the general election itself. A primary nomination process that deprives the majority of party members of the opportunity to choose who represents them in the general elections is susceptible to bad outcomes and ought to be fixed.
“Some argued that political parties do not have proper registers of their members, which was a reason to reject the direct primary option. This is an appalling admission that political parties in the country do not have credible and up-to-date registers of their members. We are left to question how those parties have thus far managed their affairs, including conducting congresses and primary elections, whether by direct or indirect means,” he noted.
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The speaker said the country has less than 13 months to the next general elections, so time is of the essence in working on the bill, adding that a technical team he appointed to look into inelegant drafting and other technical errors in the bill will submit their report in two days.
Gbajabiamila said this was the final year that the House has to conclude work on its legislative agenda and fulfill the obligations of the contract with Nigerians and urged lawmakers to approach the last stretch with a forthright focus and earnestness that comes with knowing what they are in the face to make good history.
He also said the House would prioritise action working with the deputy speaker-led committee on constitution review amendment to pass the constitutional Amendment Bill in order not to risk the harsh judgment of history.
“Our current constitutional review efforts are as crucial as the electoral act amendment bill. Amending our nation’s constitution to address long standing areas of disagreement and remove the vestiges of the military from our democracy is one of the central commitments we made in the 9th House,” he said.
