Electoral Act Amendment Bill Scales Second Reading in House of Reps

Electoral Act Amendment Bill has scaled second reading in the House of Reps.

Newsone Nigeria reports that the House of Representatives on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, okayed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill for Second Reading.

This online news platform understands that the Bill titled “A Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act, 2022 and for Related Matters”, was sponsored by Francis Waive, the member representing Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency, Delta State, south-south Nigeria.

Waive while presenting the bill, lamented the gaps in the Electoral Act 2022, noting that an amendment of the law to pave the way “for the electronic transmission of results would help the nation’s democracy.”

The lawmaker also called for the review of the voter register every ten years – “A review of the voter register every 10 years will be a good starting point,” he said.

Newsone reports that the amendment also seeks to make electronic transmission of results compulsory and punish persons who file frivolous petitions with heavy fines to reduce the number of cases that would end up in court.

If passed, the amendment will cause the electoral umpire to carry out a fresh registration exercise for eligible voters.