House of Reps advances bills for simultaneous elections and finality in gov’ship petitions
In a significant legislative move, the House of Representatives passed through second reading a bill that aims to conduct general elections for the offices of the President, State Governors, National Assembly members, State Houses of Assembly members, and Local Government Area Councillors simultaneously on the same date. The bill, proposed by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, and 34 other lawmakers, was presented by House Leader Hon. Julius Ihonvbere.
The legislation stipulates that the specific date for the general elections will be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in consultation with the National Assembly. Key amendments include alterations to Sections 76, 116, and 132 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, mandating that all relevant elections occur simultaneously on a date set by INEC.
During a voice vote led by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the majority of lawmakers showed strong support for the measure.
Additionally, the House passed a bill seeking to designate the Court of Appeal as the final arbiter for governorship election petitions. Sponsored by Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi, this private member bill aims to amend Section 246 of the Constitution, which currently allows final decisions on National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly election petitions to be made by the Court of Appeal. If enacted, this change would restrict gubernatorial election disputes from escalating to the Supreme Court, streamlining the election dispute resolution process.
