The National Assembly will on Tuesday hold a joint public hearing on a bill to amend the Electoral Act 2022, proposing some of the most significant changes to the nation’s electoral laws in recent years.
The hearing, organised by the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters, will take place in the Senate wing.
A source from the National Assembly’s Clerk’s office confirmed that the Senate and the House have different versions of the bill, which will need to be harmonised.
The proposed legislation contains a wide range of reforms aimed at reshaping the electoral process. Key proposals include the introduction of early voting for certain groups, a new method for replacing lawmakers who die or resign, and the conduct of all elections on a single day.
To expedite the resolution of disputes, the bill seeks to reduce the length of electoral litigations from 180 days to 150 days. It also aims to close a controversial loophole by stopping the process of replacing elected officials with candidates they defeated in the party primary after inauguration.
The bill introduces stricter penalties for malpractice. Political parties that field unqualified candidates or present false documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) face disqualification from the affected election and a fine of N10 million. A candidate who submits false documents risks disqualification and a fine of N5 million.
In a significant change to campaign finance, the bill increases spending limits for candidates. A presidential candidate would be allowed to spend up to N10 billion, doubled from the previous N5 billion cap, while a governorship candidate could spend N3 billion, up from N1 billion. The bill also states that no individual shall donate more than N500 million to a single candidate.
To ensure INEC is better prepared for elections, the amendment mandates that funds for general elections be released to the commission in full not later than one year before the election, moving away from the old practice of releasing funds in tranches.
The proposed law also seeks to reduce court delays by stating that a court must deliver its judgment in a pre-election matter within 90 days of the suit being filed.
Furthermore, to curb frivolous petitions, the bill empowers courts to impose a fine of not less than N5 million on a lawyer and N10 million on a petitioner who questions an election on grounds not provided for in the Act.
Notably, the bill is silent on the electronic transmission of election results, a subject of much debate in previous electoral reforms.
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