A bipartisan conference committee has been established by the House of Representatives to reconcile the differences between the versions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill that were approved by the National Assembly’s two houses.
Daily Trust reports that Akin Rotimi, the House spokesperson, revealed the situation in a statement released on Thursday morning.
Rotimi clarified that the decision was sent via an internal letter from Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, the Clerk to the House of Representatives, in response to a direction from the Green Chamber leadership.
The announcement states that Rep. Adebayo Balogun, Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, is in charge of the committee.
Reps. are among the other panel members. Ahmadu Jaha, Iduma Igariwey Enwo, Saidu Musa Abdullahi, Fred Agbedi, Sada Soli, and Dr. Zainab Gimba.
It has been assigned to the conference committee to work with its Senate equivalent to resolve discrepancies in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill’s provisions.
The House claims that the exercise is intended to provide a harmonized version of the measure for the National Assembly’s final approval.
“In order to produce a harmonized version for final passage by the National Assembly, the conference committee is mandated to engage with its counterpart from the Senate to reconcile the disparate provisions in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill,” the statement stated.
A commitment to furthering election reforms aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s democratic process’s transparency, legitimacy, and public trust was reiterated by the House of Representatives.
The national assembly’s resolve to strengthen the laws governing the nation’s elections is demonstrated by this action, the legislators said.
It was acknowledged that the Senate had already established a conference committee to collaborate with the House on harmonizing the bill.
On Wednesday, Senator Simon Bako Lalong was named the Senate committee’s head by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Among the other members are Senators Tokunbo Abiru, Aminu Abbas, Orji Uzor Kalu, Abba Moro, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Adamu Aliero, Niyi Adegbonmire, and Asuquo Ekpenyong.
It is anticipated that both chambers’ combined efforts will expedite the legislative process and guarantee the creation of a cohesive change to the Electoral Act that represents the National Assembly’s consensus.
