THE SENATE VETOES PRESIDENT BUHARI OVER ELECTORAL BILL

Nigeria Senate passes electoral act into law overriding the President

The Nigeria Senate has passed the Electoral Act No. 6 (2010 Amendment) Bill 2017 into law overriding the assent of the president . The amended act are as follows;

1. There shall now be full biometric accreditation of voters with Smart Card Readers and/or other technological devices, as INEC may introduce for elections from time to time.

2. Presiding Officers must now instantly transmit accreditation data and results from Polling Units to various collation centers. Presiding officer who contravene this shall be imprisoned for at least 5 years (no option of fine).

3. All Presiding Officer must now first record accreditation data and polling results on INEC’s prescribed forms before transmitting them. The data/result recorded must be the same with what they transmitted.

4. INEC now has unfettered powers to conduct elections by electronic voting.

5. Besides manual registers, INEC is now mandated to keep Electronic registers of voters.

6. INEC is now mandated to publish voters’ registers on its official website(s) for public scrutiny at least 30 days before a general election and any INEC staff who is responsible for this but fails to act as prescribed shall be liable on conviction to 6 months’ imprisonment.

7. INEC is now mandated to keep a National Electronic Register of Election Results as a distinct database or repository of polling unit by polling unit results for all elections conducted by INEC.

8. Collation of election result is now mainly electronic, as transmitted unit results will help to determine final results on real time basis.

9. INEC is now mandated to record details of electoral materials – quantities, serial numbers used to conduct elections (for proper tracking).

10. A political party whose candidate dies after commencement of an election and before the declaration of the result of that election now has a 14-day window to conduct a fresh primary in order for INEC to conduct a fresh election within 21 days of the death of the party’s candidate;

11. Political parties’ Polling Agents are now entitled to inspect originals of electoral materials before commencement of election and any Presiding Officer who violates this provision of the law shall be imprisoned for at least1 year.

12. No political party can impose qualification/disqualification criteria, measures or conditions on any Nigerian for the purpose of nomination for elective offices, except as provided in the 1999 Constitution.

13. The election of a winner of an election can no longer be challenged on grounds of qualification, if the he (winner) satisfied the applicable requirements of sections 65, 106, 131 or 177 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and he is not, as may be applicable, in breach of sections 66, 107, 137 or 182 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. [For example, a person’s election cannot be challenged on the ground that he did not pay tax, as this is not a qualifying condition under the Constitution.

14. All members of political parties are now eligible to determine the ad-hoc delegates to elect candidates of parties in indirect primaries. The capacity of party executives to unduly influence or rig party primaries has been reasonably curtailed, if not totally removed.

15. Parties can no longer impose arbitrary nomination fees on political aspirants. The Bill passed prescribes limits for each elective office as follows:
(a) One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000) for a Ward Councillorship aspirant in the FCT;
(b) Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250,000) for an Area Council Chairmanship aspirant in the FCT;
(c) Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000) for a House of Assembly aspirant;
(d) One Million Naira (N1,000,000) for a House of Representatives aspirant;
(e) Two Million Naira (N2,000,000) for a Senatorial aspirant;
(f) Five Million naira (N5,000,000) for a Governorship aspirant; and
(g) Ten Million Naira (N10,000,000) for a Presidential aspirant.

16. Relying on the powers of the National Assembly in Paragraph 11 of Part II (Concurrent Legislative List) of the Second Schedule (Legislative Powers) to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Senate also passed measures reforming procedures regulating Local Government Elections. State Independent Electoral Commissions can no longer conduct elections that do not meet minimum standards of credibility.

17. Any INEC official who disobeys a tribunal order for inspection of electoral materials shall be imprisoned for 2 year.

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Adams Oshiomole Speaks about DSS invitation, President Buhari and Rochas Okorocha

Here the National chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole speak on his return from US visit.

"DSS have the right to invite any citizen. I drove myself to DSS,I drove myself back after having a conversation with them. As the chairman of party in government, they seek explanation and party positions especially when accusations of disobedience to court orders that might threaten state security are made in some states where some governors are not happy with the outcome of the primaries . My duty is to educate them with facts not sensation"

"Any day DSS will invite any opposition party chairman, they will write to U.N,E.U and even Heaven. Once you are not under immunity, you must subject yourself to institutions. But those who have skeleton in their cupboard will influence the media to exaggerate the invitation.

"President Buhari position remains that every institution must be allowed to discharge their duties without interference. He doesn't interfere in party matters rather, he subjected himself to party constitution. He is not the type of President that interfere in party matters unlike his predecessors"

"Rochas Okorocha is my number one supporter to become the national chairman but I cannot sacrifice the wishes of APC in Imo for personal friendship"

It is petty and junk journalism to say that DSS asked me to resign. Is DSS d NEC or NWC of APC? That's ridiculous" Adams Oshiomole.

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Names of APC Candidates for Imo State House of Assembly submitted to INEC.

Aboh Mbaise LGA - Njoku Chimezie O

Ahiazu Mbaise LGA - Amaefule Magnus I

Ehime Mbano LGA - Anthony Emeka Nduka

Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA - Dr Iheanyi Nwachukwu

Ideato North LGA - Umeh Ikechukwu Sunday

Ideato South LGA - Duru Iheonukara Stanley

Ihitte Uboma LGA - Blessing Ifeyinwa Nwaoba

Ikeduru LGA - Okpara Ifeanyi Christopher

Isiala Mbano LGA - Lady Joy Mbawuike

ISU LGA - Egbule Dorothy Chinyere

Mbaitoli LGA - Oguri Collins C

Ngor Okpala LGA - Okere Stanislaus Ugochukwu

Njaba LGA - Uchenna Polycarp Ekwunazu

Nkwerre LGA - Iwunze Franklin Emmanuel

Nwangele LGA - Nwaka Nnamdi Osinnanna

Obowo LGA - Igbokwe Harrison Onyekachi

Oguta LGA - Nwosu Gilbert Chiedozie

Ohaji Egbema LGA - Orie Emmanuel C

Okigwe LGA - Okey Austin Udeh

Onuimo LGA - Chikezie Justine Onyeka

Orlu LGA - Okonkwo Anthony Ikechukwu

Orsu LGA - Agbabige Francis Uche

Oru East LGA - Oluoha Henry Onwuchekwa

Oru West LGA Obioha Uzoma Tonna

Owerri Municipal Ebere Macdonald Kelechi

Owerri North LGA Anthony Chiaka Ihedoro

Owerri West LGA Noble Abiaso Atulegwu

Note:
This is the official list and can only be substituted through the following means

1) Death of the candidate already submitted before the 2019 general election

2) Court Ruling which may linger to High Court, Appeal Court, Supreme Court

3) Voluntary Withdrawal.
No political party has right/power to substitute already submitted candidates name to INEC, except the candidate himself writes to the party and officially signed for voluntary withdrawal, then the party can write to INEC attaching the letter of withdrawal of the candidate.

At this point, not even the party's NWC, the President or media war can change the law.

IfeanyiCy Njoku

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