Senate empowers INEC to deregister political parties
The Senate has empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister any political party which failed to win at least a seat in any state House of Assembly in the country.
Also, the President of the Senate and all former Senate presidents, speaker of the House of Representatives and all former speakers of the House of Representatives are now members of the Council of State.
By this token, Hon. Aminu Bello Massari, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, Senator Adolphus Wabara and Senator Ken Nnamani are now members of the Council of State.
The decisions of the Senate were sequel to clause by clause voting of the amendment of the 1999 Constitution on Wednesday.
It could be recalled that efforts by INEC to get legal or constitutional powers to axe non-performing parties in the past were frustrated through litigations.
All the 89 senators who participated in the voting exercise were in support of Clause 6 of the amended act empowering INEC to de-register political parties which fail to win presidential, governorship, chairmanship of a local government area council or a seat in the National or States Assembly elections.
The Senate also approved clauses six and seven, which seek the alteration of Sections 68 and 109 to mandate the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Clerks of states Houses of Assembly to notify the Independent National Electoral Commission of any vacancy.
Specifically, the clerks are expected to write within seven days of the existence of a vacancy arising from death, resignation or defection of a member of the National Assembly or a member of a state House of Assembly.
The senators also voted in support of clauses four and five, which also seek to alter Sections 134 and 179 that relates with the extension of the time for conducting presidential and governorship re-run elections.
The clauses prescribed the extension from seven days to 21 days after results have been announced.
The red chamber equally voted in support of clause seven, which deals with the conferment of exclusive jurisdiction on the Federal High Court for the trial of electoral offences.
With the approval, federal high courts would be solely responsible for the trial of offences arising from, pertaining to or connected to the violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act and any other election related act of the National Assembly.
The senators also approved clause eight of the amendments, which also seeks to alter the Third Schedule of the Constitution to include former Senate Presidents and Speakers of the House of Representatives as members of the Council of States.
The Senate deferred voting on the controversial amendments to Section 9 (3a), which confers on the president, the power to initiate a new constitution.
The upper chamber will also vote on Clause 3 (m), which will mandate the INEC to within six months of the receipt of the draft constitution cause a referendum to be conducted to approve the draft constitution.
It will also vote on cause 3 (n), which states: “If the draft constitution receives a simple majority of votes cast in two-third of all states of the federation, it shall come into force as constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Other amendments contained in the Electoral Act are among others seeking powers for INEC to issue duplicate voter cards before election, determining voting procedure, holding of elections on a single day and cause the electoral body to conduct debate for all candidates who are contesting election into the office of president.
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