The House of Representatives has passed a bill for second reading to amend the 1999 Constitution and allow all general elections -including presidential, governorship, National Assembly, state assembly, and local government polls -to be held on the same day.
The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (Imo State) and 35 other lawmakers, was presented during Tuesday’s plenary by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere.
The bill shows that it seeks to amend Section 116 of the Constitution by inserting a new subsection (3), which states:
“All elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly, and Local Government Area Councils shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.”
A similar amendment was proposed for Section 132, adding a new paragraph (a) to subsection (1), reinforcing the need for all elections to be conducted on the same day.
During the session, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary, put the bill to a voice vote, and it received overwhelming support from lawmakers.
Following the approval, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative action.
