TIMELINE: All You Need to Know About the Electoral Bill
This will be updated subsequently as we get latest reports on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
25.01.2022 — Reps make U-turn, concur with senate on consensus candidacy
The House of Representatives on Tuesday rescinded its decision on the mode of primary election in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The House had last Wednesday reconsidered the bill by changing the mandatory direct primary clause in the bill.
It included indirect primary but did not include the option of consensus mode of primary.
On the other hand, the Senate had included consensus mode of primary election in the version it passed.
When the House resumed Tuesday, the lawmakers went into a closed-door session.
When it reconvened from the closed-door session, Abubakar Fulata (APC, Jigawa) moved a motion for rescission of section 84(2) and to dissolve into Committee of the Whole to consider the bill.
It was unanimously resolved that the option of consensus mode of primary election be included in the bill.
President Muhammadu Buhari had rejected the bill in 2021 over the inclusion of only the direct mode of primary election in the amended Electoral Bill sent to him for his assent.
25.01.2022 — Senate makes fresh amendment to Electoral Bill
In a brief deliberation on Tuesday, the Nigerian Senate made yet another amendment to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The lawmakers amended the controversial Clause 84 of the bill.
The clause deals with the mode of primary election to be used by political parties to select candidates for elective offices.
In the bill earlier passed by the National Assembly in 2021, the lawmakers prescribed that political parties use only a direct mode of primary.
But President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the legislation citing insecurity, the cost of conducting direct primaries and infringement on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance as his reasons for declining assent.
He had promised to sign the bill if changes are made to the clause, to include the addition of consensus candidates and indirect primary options to the mode of selecting a candidate for an election.
Last week, both the Senate and the House of Representatives amended the bill.
But while the Senate allowed for direct or indirect primaries or consensus as procedures for selecting candidates for elective offices, the House adopted only direct and indirect primaries.
But in the harmonised version of the bill considered by the Senate, the lawmakers adopted all three modes of primaries, with a clear definition of “how parties can use consensus to elect candidates.”
21.01.2022 — INEC, CSOs, Jega express concern over proposed increased campaign funding
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders have expressed concern over the increase in campaign spending ceiling, proposed in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The stakeholders, at a High-Level Policy Roundtable on Political Campaign Finance on Friday in Abuja, expressed concern that the high cost of campaign spending ceiling and election expenses might exclude potentially good candidates.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the proposed Electoral Bill, a presidential candidate can now spend from N5 billion as against the former N1 billion in the 2018 Act.
NAN also reports that a governorship candidate will now spend up to N1 billion from the previous N200 million while a senatorial candidate can spend N100 million as against the previous N40 million.
Furthermore, a House of Representatives candidate will henceforth spend N70 million instead of N30 million in their respective election spending.
20.01.2022 — Governors commends Senate for removing the contentious clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill
The governors also commended the Senate for accelerated passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and for “removing the contentious clause” in the bill.
They hoped that the House of Representatives will follow suit so that the revised version can be transmitted to the president for assent.
This, they said, will enable INEC to proceed with its responsibilities towards the coming elections in 2022 and 2023.
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19.01.2022 — Reps amend Electoral Bill, recommend direct, indirect primaries
The House of Representatives on Wednesday reconsidered the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and passed it after expunging the mandatory use of direct primaries by political parties to elect candidates to stand for elections.
It adopted the use of both direct and indirect mode of primaries by parties for nominating candidates for election.
The Senate had earlier reversed itself by also inserting other modes of primaries in the Electoral Bill.
The motion in the House to recommit the bill was moved by the Chairman Committee on Rules and Business, Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa).
President Muhammadu Buhari had rejected the bill in December, citing disagreement with Section 84(2) of the bill.
19.01.2022 — Senate makes U-turn, includes other modes of primary elections
The Senate has amended and passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The lawmakers rescinded their decision on a clause in the bill.
Clause 87, deals with the mode of primary election to be used by political parties to select candidates for elective offices.
In the bill earlier passed by the National Assembly, the lawmakers prescribed that political parties use only a direct mode of primary.
But President Muhammadu Buhari had in December, rejected the bill, making his reservations on Clause 87.
The president had cited insecurity, the cost of conducting direct primaries and infringement on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance as his reasons for declining assent.
He, however, said he would sign the bill if changes are made to the Clause, to include the addition of consensus candidates and indirect primary options to the mode of selecting a candidate for an election.
At the plenary on Wednesday, the lawmakers amended the bill.
18.01.2022 — Reps to reintroduce electoral bill Wednesday — Gbajabiamila
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said for the benefit of the country, the Electoral Act Amendment Bill will be reintroduced on Wednesday for reconsideration.
The speaker, in his New Year speech on Tuesday, said the lawmakers have two options, to either stick to their guns or expunge the controversial section 87 in the bill.
He noted that the excuse of political parties not having registers is appalling and not valid.
The House resumed from the Christmas/New Year break on Tuesday.
President Muhammadu Buhari had rejected the bill, citing opposition to the controversial direct primaries clause in the bill.
18.01.2022 — Electoral Bill, Constitution amendment, insecurity top agenda as Reps reconvene today
Members of the House of Representatives will on Tuesday resume plenary after their 27 days Christmas/New Year holiday.
The federal lawmakers proceeded on the holiday on December 21. Before the holiday, they had worked on and passed some resolutions and important bills including the controversial Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Upon resumption, the lawmakers are expected to continue with some unfinished businesses, engage in some more crucial matters and pass bills, especially with their tenure drawing closer to an end.
18.01.2022 — Override Buhari’s veto PDP governors tell National Assembly
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have called on the National Assembly members to hasten their decision on the controversial Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021.
With the renewed discussions around the bill by Nigerians at different fora, the governors, in a communique issued after their meeting in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday, said the lawmakers are left with the options of “overriding Mr President’s veto or deleting areas of complaints.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, had in December, declined assent to the bill, citing the direct primary clause and its cost implications on the country as his reasons for not signing the bill.
The National Assembly will reconvene on Tuesday with the discussion on the bill expected to top its agenda.
They had proceeded on Christmas/New Year break a day after Mr Buhari informed of his decline to assent the bill.
17.01.2022 — Senate spokesperson threatens CSOs over ‘errors’ in document
Despite the obvious errors and gaps noticed recently in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 by a coalition of civil society organisations, the spokesperson of the Senate, Ajibola Bashiru, says no such errors exist in the copy of the bill transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Bashiru stated this during the Citizen Town Hall Meeting held on Sunday in Abuja.
Mr Buhari had in December declined assent to the bill because of the direct primary clause in it.
The president cited insecurity, cost implications of conducting direct primaries and infringement on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance as his reasons for declining assent.
17.01.2022 — Why direct primary is not feasible — Jega
Attahiru Jega, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said the use of direct primaries by political parties might not work out well for now.
This, he said, is because many members of some political parties are not properly registered.
Mr Jega made the statement during a town hall meeting on the Electoral Amendment Bill, organised by Yiaga Africa on Sunday.
The event was aimed at re-echoing calls for the speedy passage of the bill by the National Assembly as well as to address the drafting issues cited in the legislation.
In the bill, passed by the National Assembly in 2021, Clause 87 allows political parties to adopt only a direct mode of primaries in selecting candidates for elective offices.
In December of the same year, President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the bill citing insecurity, the cost of conducting direct primaries and infringement on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance as his reasons for declining assent.
03.01.2022 — Expunge mandatory direct primary clauses, IPAC tells National Assembly
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has advised the National Assembly to expunge the clauses regarding direct primary election in the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment Bill, for it to be signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
IPAC National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, gave the advice at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.
IPAC is the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria.
Mr Sani said IPAC was impressed with the lawmakers for the courage, high level of commitment and patriotism they exhibited in the passage of the bill, describing it as ground-breaking and transformative in the annals of the National Assembly.
He, however, said IPAC noted that the only expressed grouse of the president was the provision in the bill for a mandatory use of direct primary elections in the selection of flag bearers of all the political parties.
“While many may not concede to the explanation of security challenges given by the president, it will be difficult, however, to disagree with him on the reason of complex logistics and huge financial burden that direct primary elections will imply for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
29.12.2021 — EXCLUSIVE: CSOs identify drafting errors in Electoral Bill
There are at least 10 drafting errors contained in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill recently rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari.
These inaccuracies range from grammatical errors to cross-referencing gaps.
The errors were identified by a coalition of eight civic groups comprising the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC) and Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD).
Others are the Albino Foundation, CLEEN Foundation, Institute for Media and Society (IMS) and Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF).
Their discoveries were contained in a memo dated 29 December and addressed to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, notifying them of the errors.
Also copied are the Clerk to the National Assembly, the chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on INEC and the Director of Legal Services, National Assembly.
There are indications that the CSOs are yet to dispatch the memo to the addressees.
Mr Buhari had declined assent to the bill on December 21.
27.12.2021 — Why National Assembly may not override Buhari’s veto — Presidency
The Presidency says it is unlikely that the National Assembly will override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill because of party allegiance.
A presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a one-on-one interview with “Sunday Politics”, a programme on Channels TV, said that it would be irresponsible of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers to do so contradict Mr Buhari’s stance on the controversial bill.
APC, the president’s party, controls the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Mr Buhari, last week, declined assent to the Electoral Bill, 30 days after it was transmitted to him by the legislature on 19 November.
Due to the controversial direct primaries clause therein, Mr Buhari, believed to have been influenced by state governors, turned down the bill.
23.12.2021 — Override Buhari’s veto, NBA urges National Assembly
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Amendment bill.
The NBA had issued this statement a few days before Mr Buhari in a letter to the National Assembly on Tuesday, declined assent to the bill.
The bill contains novel provisions such as direct primaries for political parties and electronic transmission of election results.
But Mr Buhari cited “logistical, security and funding issues”, among others as his basis for rejecting mandatory direct primaries, which is just a part of the amendments.
21.12.2021: Buhari writes NASS, declines assent to Electoral Act Amendment Bill
President Muhammadu Buhari has officially written the National Assembly, rejecting the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The rejection was conveyed in letters read in the two chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The bill was transmitted to the president on November 19.
In a lengthy letter read by Mr Gbajabiamila, Mr Buhari explained his reasons for the declining assent to the bill.
He said he got relevant advice from all concerned ministries, departments and agencies.
Mr Buhari cited financial, security and legal consequences for rejecting the bill.
He added that it would infringe on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance and democracy.
