The House of Representatives took a significant step on Thursday toward introducing independent candidacy into the Nigerian Constitution as part of the ongoing constitutional review.
The bill, sponsored by the House spokesperson and Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi, was read for the first time during Thursday’s plenary session and will soon be scheduled for a second reading.
Titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Allow for the Participation of Candidates Who Are Not Sponsored by Political Parties in Presidential, Governorship, National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly, and Local Government Council Elections and for Related Matters, 2024,” the proposal aims to open the political space to independent candidates.
Speaking at a press briefing after the plenary, Akin Rotimi explained that the bill seeks to promote inclusion and expand democratic participation by allowing more individuals to contest elections, even if they are not affiliated with political parties.
“This bill will widen the democratic process, granting citizens who are not members of any political party the chance to run for public office,” Rotimi said.
The proposed amendment to Section 7 of the Principal Act would introduce new subsections “(4A)” and “(4B)” to guarantee the right of any eligible voter to contest for local government office without the requirement of political party sponsorship.
Subsection (4B) further stipulates that an independent candidate in a Chairmanship election must obtain verified signatures from at least ten percent of registered voters in two-thirds of the electoral wards within the local government.
Similarly, a candidate for Councillorship must secure ten percent of registered voters’ signatures from two-thirds of polling units in the relevant electoral ward.
Additionally, the bill seeks to amend Section 65 of the Principal Act by adding a provision that allows independent candidates to run for Senate or the House of Representatives, provided they secure verified signatures from at least ten percent of registered voters in two-thirds of the local government areas within their Senatorial District or Federal Constituency.
