{"id":15584,"date":"2021-10-12T18:33:02","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T17:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/placng.org\/i\/?p=15584"},"modified":"2021-10-12T18:38:42","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T17:38:42","slug":"senate-re-commits-electoral-bill-2021-passes-new-amendments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/placng.org\/i\/senate-re-commits-electoral-bill-2021-passes-new-amendments\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Re-Commits Electoral Bill, 2021, Passes New Amendments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Senate at its plenary session of Tuesday, 12 October 2021, re-committed certain clauses of the Electoral Bill, 2021 for consideration and passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presenting the motion for re-committal, the Majority Leader of the Senate, Sen. Abdullahi Yahaya (APC: Kebbi) stated that the re-committal of  the four clauses- 43, 52, 63 and 97<\/em><\/strong> in the Bill, which deals with  Ballot Boxes and Voting Devices<\/em><\/strong>, Conduct of Poll by Open Secret Ballo<\/em><\/strong>t, Counting of Votes and Forms<\/em><\/strong> and Nomination of Candidates by Parties<\/em><\/strong> respectively, which was  earlier passed by the Senate, became necessary after the Committee on INEC raised fundamental issues on the said clauses and its provisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be recalled that the Senate at its plenary session of Thursday, 15 July 2021, considered the report of its Committee on INEC on the Electoral Bill, 2021 and inserted a new subsection (2) under Clause 52, where it mandated the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to determine the adequacy and security of network coverage for the electronic transmission of results subject to the approval of the National Assembly. This amendment elicited wide public criticism leading the Senate to reconsider the provision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Yahaya relying on Order 1(b<\/strong>) and Order 53(6)<\/strong> of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended) urged the Senate to rescind its earlier decision on the affected Clauses of the Bill and recommit same to the Committee of the Whole. Orders 1(b) and 53(6) states that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1(b) <\/em><\/strong>\u201cIn all cases not provided for hereinafter, or by Sessional or other Orders or practice of the Senate, the Senate shall by Resolution regulate its procedure\u201d;<\/em> and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

53(6<\/em><\/strong>) \u201cIt shall be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to q conclusion during the current session except upon a substantive motion for rescission\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Committee of the Whole, the Senate deliberated on the aforementioned Clauses and approved the new amendments as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clause 43: Ballot Boxes and Voting Devices<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n