Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The House of Representatives has dismissed allegations that the National Assembly is deliberately stalling the consideration and passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, saying the proposed legislation is likely to be harmonised next week.The Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Mr Adebayo Balogun, said the delay was procedural rather than political, insisting that work on the bill was ongoing in both chambers of the National Assembly.Balogun, who represents Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency of Lagos State, rejected the suggestion of deliberate delay. Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, he said legislative work on the bill was progressing and expressed optimism that the harmonisation stage would soon be completed.The Senate is in session, considering the bill. Hopefully, the harmonisation will be completed by next week,” Balogun said.Lawmakers spent about four and a half hours in an executive session deliberating on the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, alongside submissions from a seven-member ad hoc committee constituted last week to resolve contentious clauses in the bill.The leadership of the National Assembly, however, consistently maintained that the delay was due to legislative procedures and the need to achieve concurrence between both chambers before transmitting the bill for presidential assent.