Senate proposes extra 14 days for conduct of presidential rerun elections

The senate has proposed to extend the time for conducting presidential and governorship rerun elections from seven to 21 days.

According to the 1999 constitution, presidential and governorship rerun elections are to be conducted within seven days.

Presenting a report on the review of the constitution to the upper legislative chamber on Thursday, Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, said Sections 134 (4) & (5), and 179 (4) & (5), and 225 of the constitution were amended to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) more time to conduct presidential and governorship rerun elections.

Ekweremadu also said the bill provided for the creation of a mayoral office for the federal capital territory (FCT). He said instead of an appointed head, the capital city would have an elected official who would run its affairs.

According to Ekweremad, the proposal provides 35 percent representation for women in government appointments.He said sections of the constitution were amended to make local government areas financially and politically independent of states.

He said the bill, if passed, would make it mandatory for the president to address the national assembly on the state of the nation once every year.

The deputy senate president further said that the constitution was altered to give more powers to the states in the spirit of federalism.

He said federal items — prisons, railways, stamp duties, pensions and wages — were moved from the exclusive list to the concurrent list.

Ekweremadu added that the committee he chairs (on constitution review) would wait to harmonise its work with that of the house of representatives before the presentation of a final report for passage.

The senate has scheduled the passage of the constitution amendment bill for January.