Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
The Nigeria Senate, on Wednesday, trashed the electoral bill sent in by President Muhammadu Buhari seeking to amend the Electoral Act, 2022.
The Bill is titled: “A Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act 2022 and for related matters, 2022.”
Members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly overwhelmingly rejected the Bill as they in unison halted its second reading.
The Bill had earlier scaled the first reading on Tuesday despite a court order barring the Senate from acting on it.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had challenged the court order on the ground that the Judiciary cannot, in any circumstances, stop the Legislature from performing its constitutional duties.
However, before the Senate commenced consideration of the Bill on Wednesday, Senator Adamu Aliero had, while citing order 52(5) of the Senate Standing Rules, urged the Senate President to jettison the proposed action on the Bill.
Lawan was, however, reluctant and adamant in seeing the bill through.
He reiterated his position that only senators might reject the Bill and not the judiciary seeking to stop the chamber from performing its lawful duties through an order.
The Senators, as if well-prepared for a total showdown, thereafter voted overwhelmingly against the Bill to stop it from being read a second time.