The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, rejected a bill that aimed to mandate presidential and gubernatorial candidates to obtain over 50 percent of the total votes cast to be declared winners.
Sponsored by Awaji-inombek Abiante (PDP, Rivers), the bill sought to amend the 1999 constitution by abolishing the requirement of a simple majority rule for presidential and gubernatorial candidates.
According to the constitution, winning the presidential election necessitates a candidate securing 25 percent of the votes in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alongside an overall simple majority nationwide.
Should a candidate not fulfil both criteria, a run-off ensues between the candidate garnering the highest vote count and the candidate with the most votes across a majority of states.
But Abiante’s bill proposed that in a presidential race with more than two candidates, a candidate must secure a majority of the total votes, which constitutes over 50 percent.
The bill had not even been debated when lawmakers roundly rejected it.
Following its presentation by Abiante, Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House, requested a seconder for the bill. Subsequently, after being seconded and subjected to a voice vote, the bill was rejected, with a greater number of “no”.
The bill’s rejection process was highly unusual, as bills are typically rejected after the general principle has been debated.
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Consequently, Mr Tajudeen ruled in favour of those who wanted the motion thrown out.
