By NAOMI SHARANG

A bill to amend the Electoral Act No. 13, 2022, to provide for early voting at elections, passed its second reading in the Senate on Thursday.

The bill is titled “A Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act No. 13, 2022, to provide for early voting at elections, including criteria for eligibility, procedure at the elections, and other related matters, 2025”.

It was introduced by Sen. Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (APC-Katsina).

Leading the debate, Yar’Adua emphasised that the bill aimed to enfranchise Nigerians who were denied the opportunity to vote on Election Day due to their duties, such as INEC officials, security personnel, journalists, and observers.

He noted that more than one million citizens who help ensure the success of elections were currently disenfranchised because they were deployed far from their registered polling units.

“This bill seeks to correct that by making provisions for early voting for such citizens,” the legislator said, arguing that excluding such individuals from voting undermined the integrity of the election process.

Yar’Adua stressed that the bill would provide a solution to the disenfranchisement and enhance the democratic process by ensuring that all eligible citizens could participate in the electoral system, regardless of their profession or duty on Election Day.

Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim (APC-Ondo) and Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Abba Moro, also supported the bill, highlighting the importance of reducing barriers to voting and improving Nigeria’s electoral process.

The Deputy Senate President, Sen. Jibrin Barau, who presided over plenary referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters for further legislative action and to report back in four weeks. (NAN)