House Of Reps Passes Bill For National Electoral Offences Commission Through Second Reading

The House of Representatives has moved a step closer to tackling election-related crimes by passing a bill to create the National Electoral Offences Commission.

The bill, which aims to improve Nigeria’s electoral process by cracking down on vote-buying and other forms of fraud, passed its second reading during Thursday’s plenary session.

Lawmaker Adebayo Balogun, who represents a Lagos constituency, sponsored the bill.

He argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is overwhelmed and unable to effectively handle electoral offences on its own.

Balogun said creating a separate body to investigate and prosecute electoral crimes is essential for restoring trust in Nigeria’s elections.

He said, “The integrity of our electoral system continues to be challenged by many factors, including vote buying.

“So, it is important that we have a commission separate from INEC solely in charge of prosecuting electoral offenders.”

The proposal received widespread backing from lawmakers. Speaker Tajudeen Abbas conducted a voice vote, and the bill easily passed to the next stage.

The bill will go to committee for review, followed by a public hearing and a vote in the Senate. If approved, it will be sent to President Bola Tinubu for final assent.

KanyiDaily recalls that the House of Representatives Committee reviewing Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution recently suggested creating 31 new states.