Bill for independent candidacy for elections moves to Buhari

Bill that allows independent candidacy for elections moves to Buhari's table

News Agency Of Nigeria

May 16, 2023 5:38 PM

Candidates would be able to contest elections without being members of political parties if Buhari signs the bill.

President Muhammadu Buhari would have to sign the bill before he leaves office in two weeks [Presidency]

The Senate has directed the Clerk to the National Assembly to transmit Constitution alteration bill No. 58 to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent, in line with the provisions of the Authentication Act.

The bill sought to provide for independent candidacy in presidential, governorship, national and states Houses of Assembly and local government councils elections.

Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, in a motion during Tuesday's plenary, said that the Gombe State House of Assembly had approved the Constitution Alteration Bill Nos. 46 and 58 and forwarded its resolution to the National Assembly.

Consequently, the upper chamber directed the clerk to transmit to the president, Constitution amendment bill No. 46.

The bill sought to include the presiding officers of the National Assembly in the membership of the National Security Council.

The two bills were part of the Constitution alteration bills transmitted to State Houses of Assembly for concurrence in 2022, but not part of the 35 that secured the required approval of 24 out of 36 state Houses of Assembly.

Omo-Agege, also the chairman of the Senate ad hoc committee on constitutional review, said that with the approval of the Gombe Assembly, the bills on the independent candidacy and inclusion of National Assembly presiding officers in the National Security Council membership had met the provisions of Section 9(2) of the Constitution for passage.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Assembly had earlier transmitted 35 Constitution alteration bills to the President for assent out of which 19 were rejected and 16 signed into law.

On May 2, the National Assembly approved a uniform retirement age for judicial officers after it met the constitutional requirement.

The state Houses of Assembly that were yet to forward their resolutions on the constitutional amendment bills were Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Plateau and Taraba.

News Agency Of Nigeria