President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has clarified that presiding officers of both chambers of the National Assembly are not in any position to determine the outcome of amendments to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill under consideration.
Senator Lawan made the clarification on Monday, against the backdrop of insinuations and misgivings by some Nigerians that the leadership of the National Assembly was bent on accommodating contentious clauses in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill presently before it, to prevent electronic transmission of election results.
The Senate President, who is also the Chairman of the National Assembly, confirmed that the senate would consider the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill within the next two weeks upon presentation of a report by the Committee on INEC.
He advised Nigerians to engage their representatives in both chambers of the National Assembly on whatever issues they feel strongly about in the bill.
According to him, “The National Assembly is embarking on the amendment of the Electoral Act, probably by next week or within the next two weeks.
“It is very important that those who feel very strongly about any amendment that they think should be effected in the Electoral Act should contact or talk to their members of the House of Representatives as well as Distinguished Senators.
The senate President stated that presiding officers are not the ones to determine what is being carried or what is not.
Lateefah Ibrahim
