Reps okay amendment to halt votes’ transfer at elections

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed for second reading an amendment of section 221 of the 1999 constitution as amended relating to transfer of votes of candidates during election amongst other.

The bill sponsored by Hon. Sunday Karimi entitled, “A Bill for an Act to Alter Section 221 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of the Nigeria, 1999 to make the Votes scored by a Candidate sponsored by a Political Party the Votes of the Candidate and limit the transfer of Votes scored by one Candidate to some other Person and for Other Related Matters (HB. 807).”

The bill according to the sponsor, was aimed at curing the event that happened in Kogi state governorship election in 2015, when the All Progressives Congress, APC flag bearer, Prince Audu Abubakar died and his running mate, Hon James Faleke was denied the opportunity to succeed him.

While leading debate on bill the lawmaker said that “If the political parties were the owners of the votes and had all the powers to appropriate or apportion it in any manner possible, when a legislator dies in Nigeria, why would the party not just appoint any of its member to come and take over the seat of the deceased?”

He then asked his colleague to support the alteration in order to deepen the country’s electoral process.

The Bill after scaling through second reading was referred to House Special ad hoc committee on constitutional matter.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Lasun Yusuf has assured that the current effort to alter the 1999 constitution as amended would be concluded very soon.

The Deputy speaker, who chaired the ad hoc committee on constitution review made the statement during plenary on how far the committee had gone in its assignment.

He told his colleagues that the committee would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the amendment stood the test of time.