…As Electoral Amendment Bill Scales Through First Reading
BEVERLY HILLS, November 19, (THEWILL) – The Senate on Wednesday began another round of amendment to the Electoral Act following the receipt of a bill seeking to accord internally displaced persons (IDPs) the power to vote during the 2015 election.
The bill seeks to amend the Electoral Act to accommodate IDPs in the North East as a result of activities of Boko Haram in the area.
Sponsor of the bill Senator Ali Ndume told newsmen in Abuja that most of his constituents would be disenfranchised if no provision was made to accommodate them as they had been dislodged from their ancestral homes.
The bill, which passed the first reading in the red chamber is seeking to make provisions for displaced persons by establishing polling units where they would exercise their franchise in the 2015 general elections apart from where they initially registered.
Specifically, the bill seeks to amend Section 42 of the Electoral Act by inserting new Sub-clause 42 (2) which states that, “The Commission shall establish Polling Units for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in their respective camps nationwide.”
The new amendment will be cited as the Electoral Act, 2010 (Amendment) Bill, 2014.
The amendment bill further states that :“In accordance with Section 42, the Commission shall establish sufficient number of Polling Units in each registration area and shall allot voters to such polling units.
“From the above, the issue of establishment of polling units at IDPs camps has to be addressed before the issue of voting during elections. If polling units are not established as stipulated in Section 42; it will be impracticable for them to vote.
“Accordingly, Section 49 states that, ‘A person intending to vote with his voters card, shall present himself to a Presiding Officer at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered with his voter’s card’
“Therefore, it is expedient that Polling Units should be created for or transferred to IDPs Camps in order to disenfranchise them during elections in Nigeria.”
EMMA UCHE, ABUJA
