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Electoral Amendment Bill: Dead on arrival?
By
Sun Jul 25 2021
The passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 last week by the National Assembly has drawn reactions that clearly accentuate the acute sensitivity of the various sections of the country to the dispensation and its outcome. The bone of contention is the prospect or otherwise of the dispensation to foster an improvement of the country’s electoral processes through which leaders are sourced. From the gale of reactions both in support and against specific provisions of the bill, there are strong reasons for the National Assembly to recall the document for review, as it clearly has not passed the test of public acceptability. And as anyone who is adept in public administration may testify, any legislation that fails the test of public acceptability, turns out to be difficult in enforcing. Hence enacting the Electoral Bill in its present controversial state, may render it a dead-on-arrival law.
Gboyega Akinsanmi
Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday faulted the National Assembly for removing the power of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review election results declared under duress or in contravention of electoral guidelines.
Falana, a former President of the West African Bar Association (WABA), also alleged that the National Assembly has completely monetised the democratic process, citing the indiscriminate increase of campaign expenses under Section 88 of the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The senior lawyer, who expressed these concerns in response to THISDAYâs inquiries yesterday, decried the implications of sections 65 and 88 of the newly passed Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill on the credible and transparent electoral process in Nigeria if President Muhammadu Buhari finally assents to the bill.
LG Polls: Lagos may transmit election results electronically premiumtimesng.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from premiumtimesng.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Democracy Vanguard of Nigeria in Diaspora (DVND) has called on the United States to impose a visa ban on those senators that opposed electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria.
Led by Comrade Timothy Sule, the group also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold assent to the amended Electoral Amendment Act.
The affected lawmakers are the 52 that voted against the initiative and the 28 others that abstained. The appeal was contained in a letter dated July 18, 2021 and addressed to the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, copies which were sent to United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, Acting Assistant Secretary, Ambassador Robert Godec and Deputy Assistant Secretary, Akunna Cook.