The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill for the second reading seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to make the Court of Appeal the final arbiter in disputes involving governorship, National, and State House of Assembly elections.
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The proposed amendment, sponsored by Rep. Nnamdi Ezechi (Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwani Federal Constituency, Delta State), is part of 39 constitutional amendment bills currently under consideration. The bill aims to streamline electoral dispute resolution and reduce delays in determining election outcomes.
Under the current system, governorship election disputes proceed to the Supreme Court, while National and State Assembly disputes end at the Court of Appeal. The amendment seeks to remove governorship election disputes from the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction, ensuring that decisions of the Court of Appeal are final in all cases.
Leading the debate, Rep. Ezechi explained:
- The amendment closes a legal loophole left by the 2010 Second Alteration Act, which made National and State Assembly election petitions end at the Court of Appeal but did not address governorship petitions.
- The proposed change will expedite the resolution of election disputes, allowing declared winners to focus on governance without prolonged litigation.
- It will cut down on legal costs and prevent unnecessary delays in governance caused by prolonged Supreme Court cases.
Another bill that passed the second reading seeks to establish the National Local Government Electoral Commission (NLGE) as an independent body responsible for organizing and supervising local government elections across Nigeria.
The bill, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu and eight other lawmakers, aims to ensure credible and transparent local government elections.
The House also advanced a bill mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct presidential, governorship, National Assembly, state assembly, and local government elections on the same day.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere, Rep. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, and 34 others, is expected to reduce election costs and logistical challenges.
All the bills have been referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, for further legislative action. The passage of these amendments comes amid political tensions, including the recent state of emergency declaration in Rivers State.
The proposed amendments will require approval from the Senate, State Houses of Assembly, and eventual presidential assent before becoming law.
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