Electoral Act: Reps Consider Overriding President Buhari On Statutory Delegates

The House of Representatives is likely to commence the process of overriding President Muhammadu Buhari on the amended Electoral Act.

This followed a deliberation on Wednesday by the lawmakers during a plenary in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, on the inability of statutory delegates to participate in the various exercise of the respective political parties.

A member of the House, Ben Ipkapa, had asked the lawmakers to gather signatures and override the President on the amendment made to the Electoral Act.

The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, in his response, told Ipkapa that the matter could be brought on notice during plenary and would be considered.

READ ALSO: Gbajabiamila Questions Failure Of 170 Reps To Win Party Tickets For Re-Election

Lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives chambers of the National Assembly had amended the Electoral Act, 2022 in May to allow statutory delegates to participate and vote in the conventions, congresses, or meetings of political parties.

Statutory delegates include the President, Vice President, members of the National Assembly, governors and their deputies, members of the State Houses of Assembly, chairmen of councils, councillors, and national working committee of political parties, amongst others.

The amended Electoral Act was later transmitted to President Buhari on May 13, but no communication has been received from the President regarding the proposed legislation as of the time of this report.

According to the Constitution, the President has 30 days to decide whether to sign or withhold assent to a bill passed by the National Assembly.

Besides the debate over statutory delegates, Gbajabiamila had questioned the primaries of political parties held across the country when the House resumed plenary on Tuesday.

He was concerned that about 178 serving members of the house failed to secure the ticket of their various parties to return to the green chamber of the National Assembly.

According to the speaker, many members lost because of the process of primaries, using the delegate system which is what the House fought for by making direct primaries compulsory in the Electoral Act which the President has yet to sign.