THERE is a ray of hope for independent candidates in the 2019 polls as the House of Representatives Special Ad-hoc Committee on the review of the 1999 constitution has approved independent candidacy for elections in Nigeria.
This development was the outcome of the retreat organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, for members of the committee in Abuja, weekend.
After a robust debate on the clause contained in the amendment of the Electoral Act, members agreed that there was need to test independent candidacy in the political space to reduce the imposition of candidates by political parties
Addressing members after the retreat, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sulaimon Lasun Yussuff, who is the chairman of the committee, promised that the National Assembly would give Nigerians an enviable constitution.
The chairman stated that the bill would be considered at plenary to have members’ inputs and further subject the clause to a robust debate.
The retreat was concluded last Saturday with an appeal from the chairman to members to take the final stage of the amendment process more serious, so the National Assembly could give Nigerians a new constitution.
He said after the retreat, there would be need for the members of the committee to meet the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution to harmonize “our positions.”
