Senate mulls independent candidacy in 2027 polls
…transmits bill for Buhari’s assent
By Tunde Opalana
Barring any brick wall at the Presidency, candidates without politics party platforms may run independently for elective offices from local government to presidential during the 2027 general election.
This is as the Senate, on Tuesday, directed the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA) to transmit a constitution alteration Bill No. 58 to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent in line with the provisions of the Authentication Act.
The bill seeks to provide for independent candidacy in presidential, governorship, national and state assemblies and local government councils elections.
Requirements for independent candidacy provides that; “For any Nigerian national to contest presidential election as independent candidate, he or she must obtained the verified signatures of at least twenty per cent of registered voters from each State of the Federation provided that a registered voter shall not sign for more than one independent candidate in respect of the same office.
“For governorship, the independent candidate must obtained the verified signatures of at least twenty per cent of registered voters from each of the local government areas of the state.
“The bill also states that anyone willing to contest National Assembly elections, he or she must obtained the verified signatures of at least twenty per cent of registered voters from each of the local government areas in the respective senatorial district or federal constituency.
“The proposed legislation empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prescribe the payment of administrative fees by independent candidates for respective elections.
“It mandates the electoral body to waive fifty percent of the administrative fees for women candidates.”
The bill and another constitution alteration Bill No. 46, which seeks to include the presiding officers of the National Assembly in the membership of the National Security Council are in addition to 35 constitution amendment bills by the 9th National Assembly already passed to President Buhari for assent.
The two proposals were part of the constitution alteration bills transmitted to State Houses of Assembly for concurrence last year but not part of the 35 that secured the required approval of 24 out of 36 state assemblies.
The parliament had earlier transmitted 35 constitution alteration bills to the president for assent out of which 19 were rejected and 16 signed into law.
Chairman of the Senate ad- hoc on Constitution Review and Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, while presenting the motion at plenary on Tuesday said the passage of the additional two bills was possible after the Gombe State House of Assembly has approved the Constitution Alteration Bill Nos. 46 and 58 and forwarded its resolution to the National Assembly.
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Omo-Agege said with the approval of the Gombe Assembly, the bills on the independent candidacy and inclusion of National Assembly presiding officers in the National Security Council membership have met the provisions of Section 9(2) of the Constitution for passage.
The Senate, after adopting the motion, directed the Clerk to the National Assembly to transmit the bills to the president for his assent.
