Senate Forwards Independent Candidacy Bill To Buhari For Assent

The Senate, on Tuesday, transmitted the Independent Candidacy Bill to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, for presidential assent.

The bill, being sponsored by the Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Comrade Abba Moro, seeks to, among other things, alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), to make provisions for Independent Candidacy in the electoral process in Nigeria; create a platform for credible and eligible Candidates desirous to participate in the electoral process in Nigeria to so do without sponsorship of a political party; make provisions that allow anyone who’s eligible to stand for election to any political office as an Independent Candidate.

The bill is No. 58 in the Constitution Alteration Bill, and one of the bills sponsored by the Senator in the alteration bill, one of which was the Local Government Administrative and Financial Autonomy Bill that could not get through the State Houses of Assembly as required by law.

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The proposal was part of the constitution alteration bills transmitted to State Houses of Assembly for concurrence in 2022 but not part of the 35 that secured the required approval of 24 out of 36 state assemblies until now that Gombe State House of Assembly approved it.

Senator Moro, while reacting to the development, said he was happy that the proposal finally scaled through.

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He commended the State Houses of Assembly that approved the bill and expressed optimism that it will get presidential assent to address the grouse and worry of eligible aspirants for political offices who have no platform to run or unjustly denied party tickets.