The Court of Appeal has set aside a judgment of the Federal High Court, Umuahia, which granted the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the permission to delete Section 84(12) from the Electoral Act 2022.
The Abia court had declared the section as illegal and a violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
This section states that “No political appointees at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the Convention or Congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election”.
The section bars political appointees such as ministers, commissioners, special advisers, personal assistants in federal and state governments from voting as delegate or being voted for in a political party primary.
Already, some appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari have declared their intention to run for elective offices while still occupying their positions.
More details to follow…
