National Assembly Approves Independent Candidacy For Elections in Nigeria
The Senate, on Tuesday, May 16, approved the participation of independent candidates in presidential, governorship, national and state assemblies and local government councils elections in Nigeria.
As a result of the development, the Senate instructed the Clerk of the National Assembly to submit Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 58 for President Muhammadu Buhari’s consideration in accordance with the Authentication Act.
The Bill seeks to alter parts of the Constitution to allow for the participation of independent candidates in Nigerian elections.
At plenary on Tuesday, the Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege informed the upper legislative chamber that the Gombe State House of Assembly had passed Constitution Alteration Bill Nos. 46 and 58 and sent its resolution to the National Assembly.
Omo-Agege, who is the chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review, said this satisfies the requirements of Section 9(2) of the Constitution for passage.
After passing the motion, the Senate instructed the Clerk of the National Assembly to send the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 58, which provides for independent candidacy, to the President for assent into law.
The Clerk was also directed to transmit to the president, constitution amendment bill Number 46, which seeks to include the presiding officers of the National Assembly in the membership of the National Security Council.
The two proposals were part of the constitution alteration bills transmitted to State Houses of Assembly for concurrence last year but not part of the 35 that secured the required approval of 24 out of 36 state assemblies.
The National Assembly had earlier sent 16 of the 35 bills to amend the constitution to the President for approval and they were signed into law, while 19 were rejected.
