Bill Seeking to Restrict High Courts from Ruling Pre-election Cases Scales Second Reading in Senate
POLITICS DIGEST – A bill seeking to amend the provisions of the 1999 Constitution to preclude the federal, state and FCT High Courts from entertaining pre-election disputes emanating from elective congresses of political parties scaled second reading on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central), seeks to alter Section 272 of the Principal Act by inserting, after subsection (3), a new subsection (4).
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The proposed subsection reads, “Nothing in this section shall empower the High Court of a State to entertain a dispute from a member of a political party challenging the actions or decisions of a political party in respect of the election of a principal officer or member of its executive committee or other governing body following from a congress, conference, convention or other meeting convened by that political party for the purpose of electing such principal officers or members.
“This Act may be cited as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Alteration, No. 29) Act, 2020,” it added.
Also scaling second reading is a bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, to provide immunity for members of the legislature in respect of words spoke or written at plenary sessions or committee proceedings and institutionalise legislative bureaucracy in the constitution, sponsored by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC – Ekiti Central).
