Culled from the Daily Sun news papers online of saturday 30th December 2006

Months after President Olusegun Obasanjo signed into law, the Electoral Act 2006, a bobby trap capable of truncating the 2007 general elections had been identified.

Section 37 (1) of the act empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone election in case of the death of a nominated candidate before the commencement of poll.

With 50 registered political parties for the 2007 elections by INEC, with the death of one presidential candidate, INEC can shift the presidential election forward to a later date.
Making the matter worst, the law did not state the length of the days or months the election could be postponed.

The section reads: If after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement of the poll, a nominated candidate dies, the Chief National Electoral Commissioner or the Resident Electoral Commissioner shall, being satisfied of the fact of the death, countermand the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate and the Commission shall appoint some other convenient date for the election.”

Reacting to this section, member of the House of Representatives, Hon Albert Atiworcha, blamed the National Assembly for what he described as gave omission that could be capitalized upon to truncate democracy.

“We have just discovered this dangerous section, which could be explored to extend the life of the Obasanjo administration. It is a grave mistake on our part as legislature to create such a loop hole in the electoral act.”

To save the situation and to prevent INEC from being used to postpone the 2007 election, Atiworcha said that the particular section of the 2006 Electoral Act would have to be amended when members resume from recess.

“The only thing left for us to do is to amend the Electoral Act immediately we resume in January, or else, enemies of democracy will have something to use to ensure that the election does not hold.

i wonder if the members of the national assembly were blindfolded before they passed that bill into law, wonders shall never end. what a nation!!!!!!!!!!!

The more you look the less you see.