House Of Reps Passes Bill To Establish National Electoral Offences Commission For Second Reading

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill for the establishment of the National Electoral Offences Commission, a key step aimed at addressing electoral fraud and improving the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.

Naijaonpoint reports that the bill, which had previously failed to pass in the 9th assembly, successfully advanced to its second reading, marking a significant milestone in the legislative process.

The bill was sponsored by a lawmaker from Lagos, Adebayo Balogun, who during the plenary session, highlighted the challenges faced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in dealing with electoral offences.

Balogun stated that INEC was “overwhelmed” by its responsibility for handling electoral crimes, which he argued compromises the credibility of Nigeria’s elections.

“The integrity of our electoral system continues to be challenged by many factors, including vote-buying,” Balogun noted.

He emphasised the need for an independent body, separate from INEC, to handle the prosecution of electoral offenders. “It is important that we have a commission solely in charge of prosecuting electoral offenders,” he added.

The bill garnered broad support from lawmakers during the plenary session. Speaker Tajudeen Abbas put the bill to a voice vote, and it passed successfully.

The next steps for the bill include review and approval by the committee, followed by public hearings and eventual concurrence with the Senate. Once these stages are completed, the bill will be forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for assent.