House of Reps pushes for independent candidacy in Nigerian elections

The House of Representatives has thrown its weight behind the introduction of independent candidacy as part of the ongoing constitutional review on Thursday.
The bill, sponsored by Akin Rotimi, spokesperson for the House and Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, was introduced for its first reading at the plenary session.

The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” seeks to enable candidates unaffiliated with political parties to contest in presidential, governorship, National Assembly, state assembly, and local government elections.

Rotimi, speaking after the plenary, emphasized that the amendment is aimed at expanding Nigeria’s democratic space and promoting greater inclusion in the political process. He said, “This bill will broaden the democratic process, thereby allowing citizens who are not affiliated with any political party the opportunity to run for public offices.”

The proposed bill seeks to amend Section 7 of the Principal Act by introducing new subsections (4A) and (4B). Subsection (4A) would allow any eligible voter or candidate for the State House of Assembly to run for local government office, regardless of political party affiliation or sponsorship. In subsection (4B), the bill stipulates that independent candidates must meet certain criteria to contest elections. For Chairmanship elections, candidates must secure verified signatures from at least 10% of registered voters across two-thirds of the electoral wards in the local government area.

Similarly, for Councillorship elections, candidates must obtain signatures from at least 10% of registered voters in two-thirds of the polling units within the electoral wards. Furthermore, the bill proposes an amendment to Section 65, replacing subsection (2).
The new provision states that a person is qualified for election if they have at least a School Certificate or its equivalent, and either
(a) are a member of a political party and sponsored by that party, or (b) are an independent candidate with verified signatures from 10% of registered voters across two-thirds of the local government areas in their Senatorial District or Federal Constituency.