The National Assembly appears committed to meeting its target of having an Electoral law passed by the first quarter of 2021. The joint committees of the Senate on INEC and the House of Representatives on Electoral Matters have set up a Technical Committee to work on the Electoral Act Amendment (repeal and re-enactment) bill. The Committee comprises members of the Senate Committee on INEC and the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, the office of Deputy Senate President, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), the secretariat of the joint committees, the legal department of the National Assembly and other experts.
The Technical Committee led by the Senate Committee Chair on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya and House Committee Chair on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aisha Dukku, held a retreat in Abuja from 7th to 10th January, which was supported by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO). At the retreat, the Committee undertook a clause by clause consideration of the bill, alongside submissions from various stakeholders and the general public, on the bill. The Committee will meet subsequently to incorporate proposals and amendments discussed at the retreat, and will produce a clean copy of the bill which will be presented to the plenary of both chambers of the National Assembly in February 2021.
It will be recalled that at a public hearing on the bill held on December 9, 2020, stakeholders made contributions and input to the Electoral Act (repeal and re-enactment) bill. At the event, the leadership of the National Assembly reiterated its commitment to electoral reform, being one of the priority items in its legislative agenda. It is expected that the new bill will incorporate several of the progressive proposals to reform Nigeria’s electoral laws, including provisions assuring use of technology and transparent collation and transmission of election results.