The Lady who influenced Senate’s Adoption
OpenLife Nigeria can report that the celebrated Nigerian Senate amendment of Clause 52(2) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill on Tuesday did not just happen.
Certain individuals have been identified to be responsible for what turned out Senate reversing its self at the plenary on Tuesday.
During the sitting, the Senate, at the Committee of the Whole chaired by Dr. Ahmad Lawan, amended Clause 52(2) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to read: “Subject to section 63 of this Bill, voting at an election and transmission of results under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which may include electronic voting.”
Clause 87(1) of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which was also passed as recommended states: “A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Bill shall hold direct primaries for aspirants to all elective positions, which shall be monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
The Senate had, in July, during consideration of report on 2010 Electoral Act ( Amendment ) Bill 2021, submitted by its Committee on INEC, amended clause 52(3) as recommended which says: “INEC can transmit election results electronically subject to confirmation of Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) of adequacy and security of national network.
In the face of all this, OpenLife, on Tuesday afternoon, was reliably updated on the entire process that led to the amendment.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, OpenLife source who craved anonymity disclosed that the burial of Captain Hosa Okunbo in Benin days ago was the final opportunity that sealed the amendment.
The northern Senator divulged that the husband of President Buhari’s daughter, Ahmed Indimi was instrumental to the success of the amendment.
He stated that “ A top politician who truly means well for Nigeria and cares about his legacies approached Ahmed Indimi, the husband of Zahra, President Buhari’s daughter.
“He impressed it on him to use the wife to talk to President Buhari to ensure that electronic voting begins with his administration. He made Indimi understand that there are too many negatives trailing his in-law’s administration.
“He told him that if the President succeeds in persuading the Senate President to adopt the amendment, that would tone down the negatives and add to his legacies.
“That was how Indimi started talking to his wife to talk to her Dad. Indimi later got the buy-in of Zahra’s close friend. She was briefed to push the matter and when they met during Okunbo’s burial, Zahra was completely overwhelmed by the idea to stretched her father’s legacies.
“She met her father after Okubo’s burial and that was it,” OpenLife was told.
Born on December 18, 1994, the 26-year-old daughter of President Buhari obtained a degree in Microbiology from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, before marrying Ahmed Indimi who studied at Lagos Global College before joining American Intercontinental University in Atlanta, Georgia for a degree in Information Technology and a Master’s degree afterward.
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