The bill sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ndokwa East/Ndokwa West/Ukwani Federal Constituency, Delta State, Nnamdi Ezechi, passed second reading on the floor of the House during plenary.
While taking the House through the bill’s general principles, Ezechi said the proposed legislation seeks to alter the provision of sub-section (3) of Section 246 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
According to him, the passage of this bill will enable the final winner of a governorship election to be known without delay, adding that it would further allow the winner to settle down and face the business of governance without distraction.
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He also noted that terminating election disputes at the appellate court would save costs, saying If such petitions end in the Court of Appeal, it would reduce the financial resources being wasted by the parties in prosecuting such cases to the Supreme Court.
He added that the original provision of Section 246 (1)(b) stated that an appeal shall lie as of right from the decisions of the National Assembly Election Tribunals and Governorship and Legislative Houses Tribunals on the issues mentioned above.
The bill, following its adoption, was referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, for further legislative actions.