Tag: NASS Leadership

‘Gbajabiamila introduced direct primary in Electoral Bill to favour someone’, Senator Na’Allah claims

Aminu Imam

The lawmaker representing Kebbi-South Senatorial District, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, has said that the direct primary clause, which led to the rejection of the Electoral Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari, was introduced into the Bill by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Na’allah, who claimed during an interview on television, explained that the Speaker’s idea of direct primary was to favour someone, whom he failed to name. He further noted that during the discussions at the committee level, the issue of direct primaries was never brought up. Na’allah also…

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“Nigerians tired of killings” – Senate President, Lawan

Aminu Imam

…Expresses NASS worry over FG’s borrowings Worried by incessant killings in the country, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said “the situation is not too good for the country”. According to the Senate President, while thanking lawmakers and journalists for honouring his 63 birthday, said “Recently, we lost 200 people in Zanfara and some number in other parts of the country. This is not the type of story we want to hear as a government and country”. He further stated, that it is a sense of sympathy, empathy and…

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“We are going to revisit Electoral Bill in January” – House Speaker, Gbajabiamila

Aminu Imam

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila, on Thursday, assured that the National Assembly would decide the fate of the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2021 in January next year, upon resumption from the Christmas and New Year holiday. Gbajabiamila gave the assurance while delivering his end-of-year speech shortly after reading the President’s communication to the House on his decision not to give his assent to the Bill, He promised Nigerians that the parliament would not throw away the Bill just because President Muhammadu Buhari declined his assent…

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Buhari to lawmakers: “Don’t meddle in party affairs”

Aminu Imam

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, yesterday read President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter informing the lawmakers of why he withheld his assent from the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. Lawan read the letter shortly after the Upper Chamber rose from its executive session at 11.40am. Buhari, in the letter, said apart from legal, financial, economic and security implications of direct primary elections, it would stifle smaller parties and will be susceptible to corruption and monetisation. He added that direct primaries are not free from manipulations. The President believes making direct primary the sole method…

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Electoral Bill: CSOs task NASS to consider overriding public interest during harmonisation

Aminu Imam

As Senators and House of Representatives resume plenary today, Tuesday, some coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating in Nigeria yesterday tasked the NASS leadership to put the overriding public interest during the harmonisation of clauses in the Electoral Bill, 2021 on the electronic transmission of election results. The coalition, in a statement signed by the Executive Director of Adopt A Goal for Development Initiative, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, underscored the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Bill into law before the Anambra governorship election slated for November 6, 2021.…

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2023: PDP Govs. Forum urges NASS to entrench electronic transmission of results 

Aminu Imam

…Accuses Buhari, APC for converting Aso Villa to new APC HQ Governors elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, otherwise known as PDP Governors’ Forum, (PDP-GF), yesterday called on the federal lawmakers to entrench electronic transmission of results for free, fair and credible elections in the country. The Chairman of PDP-GF and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, disclosed this in a communique issued at the end of the 11th meeting of the Forum, which was held in Bauchi. The Forum requested the Independent National Electoral Commission,…

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How wrong use of the gavel ruins Nigeria’s democracy

Aminu Imam

…NASS presiding officers accused of rigging voice votes Nigeria’s long journey to a consolidated democracy where there will be credible and transparent elections appears to be under threat. It would appear that elected representatives of the people who have found themselves in leadership positions at the National Assembly are putting the gavel to use negatively, defeating the main essence of the instrument. The rush with which the presiding officers at the Senate and the House of Representatives chant “the ‘ayes’ have it” or “the ‘nays’ have it” appears to suggest…

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Lawmakers not responsible for NASS Complex maintenance – Senate spokesman

Aminu Imam

The Senate has disclosed that the Federal Capital Development Authority, (FCDA), is responsible for the maintenance of the National Assembly Complex. This clarification was made by the spokesman of the senate, Ajibola Basiru following a leaking roof in the complex after a heavy downpour on Tuesday. Several Nigerians have accused the lawmakers of failing to repair the edifice despite receiving an allocation for it following the report of the incident. In a statement issued yesterday, Basiru said the leadership of the National Assembly did not receive any money for the…

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“Probe missing N4.4 bn NASS funds” – SERAP tells Lawan, Gbajabiamila

Aminu Imam

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the House of Reps. Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila to “use their good offices to urgently probe and refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies allegations that N4.4 billion of public money budgeted for the National Assembly is missing, misappropriated, diverted or stolen, as documented in three audited reports by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation”. In the open letter, dated January 30, 2021 and signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “By exercising…

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NASS wants INEC to consider underage married girls as voters

Aminu Imam

The National Assembly’s Joint Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission Matters has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), to consider any married girl that is not up to 18 as eligible to vote. The committee made the call while proposing a review of the provision in the Electoral Act on Wednesday, December 16, 2020. According to reports, the review was proposed to the Technical Committee on Electoral Reform by the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya, and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Aisha…

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