By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured Nigerians that the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 will be concluded on or before December 2025, noting that the reviewed law will guide the conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, gave the assurance in a statement on Tuesday after the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, read President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request for the confirmation of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Tinubu had nominated Amupitan, a Professor of Law, following the unanimous approval of his appointment by the Council of State last Wednesday, succeeding Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
Explaining the National Assembly’s commitment to timely completion of the amendment process, Bamidele recalled that the last administration under former President Muhammadu Buhari was unable to sign the final version of the Electoral Act due to late transmission by the legislature.
“Before then, we had made our first proposal. We sent the bill to the then president, and it was signed. When further observations were made, especially when certain people were disenfranchised as statutory delegates and the National Assembly wanted to make corrections, late former President Muhammadu Buhari said the bill was coming too close to the election,” Bamidele stated.
He continued: “And late President Buhari then observed that he did not want to be misunderstood by the public. That is why the bill was not signed then. Between now and December 2025, we will ensure that the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 is concluded so that it will not be too close to the 2027 elections.”
Speaking further, Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, expressed confidence that the current constitutional review exercise would succeed because of the active involvement of critical stakeholders, including the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures.
“I do not envisage that there will be any resistance because public institutions are working with the National Assembly for the successful review of the 1999 Constitution. In this amendment, global best practices will also be taken into consideration in the area of domestication of international treaties and agreements,” he explained.
Addressing criticisms from opposition parties, Bamidele maintained that it was natural for the opposition to downplay the achievements of the ruling party, as their goal remained to regain political power.
He said: “No matter how well a government is performing, the opposition will never agree that the government is doing well because they too are plotting to reclaim the presidency. Part of what they will love to see is the ruling party fighting on a daily basis, throwing out correspondences from the presidency or whatever is coming from the executive. That is what will make them happy. But our focus is on rebuilding Nigeria, stabilising our polity, and growing our economy. And we will never be distracted from this goal.”
Outlining the agenda of the 10th Senate for its third legislative year, Bamidele added that the National Assembly has several critical assignments before it, including the amendment of the 2022 Electoral Act and the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
Source; PM News
