The Nigerian Senate has stepped down the Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill, which seeks to reshuffle the sequence of polls in a general election.
The bill, which was considered for second reading, on Wednesday suffered a setback when several lawmakers raised various issues against the amendment.
The lawmakers resolved that the bill be stepped down and referred to the Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, with a mandate to expunge the clauses faulted by President Muhammadu Buhari, for which he withdrew his assent.
The parts not faulted by the President, however, would be sent back to him for assent.
President Buhari recently turned down the bill in a letter to the National Assembly.
In some of the reasons as read out on the floor of the House by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Buhari said, “Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the Senate, my decision, on 3rd March 2018, to decline Presidential Assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly.”
