Sen. Kabiru Gaya, Chairman, Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC) says the National Assembly plans to submit the amended Electoral Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari before in February for his assent.
Gaya who disclosed this during a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters was working towards ensuring early passage of the bill.
“We are doing the Electoral Act, we have virtually completed. What we are supposed to do at this level is to bring it to the floor of the Senate for consideration and the floor of the House of Reps also for consideration.
“We are doing a joint hearing between the Senate and the House, so that we can fast track it and also reduce the issue of having so many differences in the bill.
“If we are working together with the house, it means the bill will be one. The house bill and the Senate bill will be one. There will be no need to go for concurrence.
“I believe Nigerians will be happy with the Electoral Act 2021, which hopefully before the end of this month, it will leave the chamber to Mr President for his assent.
“As we promised that within the first quarter of 2021 the bill be signed, we hope and pray that bill will be signed and it will enhance the democratic progress in this country,” he said.
Gaya said that the committee was doing its best to ensure that there was a law that would guarantee free, fair and credible elections in the country.
“Whatever we need to do to improve the elections, the quality of our elections, we will continue to do that.
“I thank the leadership of the Senate and the leadership and also the Speaker of House of Reps for encouraging us to make sure that we fast track or work on this issue of Electoral Act.
“People needed to have free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria and therefore we have to amend the Electoral Act, the law that can be able to let us achieve success in election; free, fair and credible,” he said.
The lawmaker said further that about 87 memoranda were submitted to the committee but after consideration, imputes were gotten from 27 to the bill.(NAN)
