President Muhammadu Buhari has finally signed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
The signing of the bill comes barely a week to the expiration of the period the President has to take a decision on the proposed legislation under the Nigerian constitution.
The President assented to the bill on Friday at the Council Chamber of the Aso Villa in Abuja. The signing was witnessed by the Senate President Ahmed Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila among others.
President Buhari was expected to sign the bill on Wednesday as sources indicated, however the signing failed to hold and was rescheduled to Friday.
In November 2021, President Buhari rejected the bill citing the provision that made direct primaries compulsory for political parties in the country. He said the provision “violates the spirit of democracy.”
Both the House of representatives and the Senate later reworked and passed the harmonised version of the bill on January 25. The final version of the amendment to Clause 84 included the direct, indirect, and consensus primary modes.
Parties are now free to use any of the three aforementioned options to elect their candidates for any election that will be organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On January 31, 2022, the final version of the bill which also provides for the electronic transmission of election results was transmitted to the president.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
