National Assembly recommends voting right for under-age Girls who are married
The national assembly joint committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recommended voting right for married underage girls to the electoral commission.
The national assembly joint panel made the recommendation to a technical committee which will work on the new electoral act proposed by the federal lawmakers, even though the constitution currently places the eligible age for voting at 18.
This came two weeks ago after some stakeholders made a similar recommendation. Kabiru Gaya, chairman of the senate committee on INEC who spoke at the inauguration of the technical committee in Abuja said the recommendation is a unanimous decision by the joint panel.
Gaya said;
“The joint committee has proposed that if a lady who is not up to 18 years is married, she should be considered to be mature enough and be eligible to vote.”
However after INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu said the issue of voting age is a constitutional matter and the law also recognises 18 as marriageable age, Aisha Dukku, chairperson of the house of representatives committee on INEC said the recommendation cannot be thrown out because it was suggested by stakeholders at the public hearing.
Dukku said;
“It is already in the electoral act amendments submitted in the last assembly, so it cannot be thrown away just like that.
“We should look at it and come up with something instead of throwing it away. It is not from us but from the stakeholders on the day of the public hearing held in the 8th assembly.”
I hope the electoral law won’t contradict and more so, under age girls that get married won’t make her to be in the 18 years.
Hmmmmmm
So that you people can use them in the next election come year 2023
You (NASS) just need to be careful with whatever you are doing. Don’t engage yourself in what is to affect electoral process in the future not because of today.
Hmmm….. Underage marriage only works in the north but you want to used to change the faith of 2023 election…. But hoped this useless bill didn’t come to pass…….
What they would have stop is underage marriage not even advocating for them to get the right of vote because as long as I’m concerned and what I know marriage is for mature people who are supposed to be above age 18
I don’t think you people have done public hearing on this because it’s not a matter that you can just sit down in the national assembly and pass it into law just like that. You have not pass this onto law, some under age were seeing voting in the north in the previous election.
I don’t think you people have done public hearing on this because it’s not a matter that you can just sit down in the national assembly and pass it into law just like that. You have not pass this onto law, some under age were seeing voting in the north in the previous election.
This is a means of allow under age to vote in northern part of the country those in the national assembly need to be wise otherwise it will result to cheating to other parts of the country.
Why will under age girls get married, I thought it is against Nigeria law. If you the northners what to continue with all this law, you better form your own country
I don’t think this is right at all
The constitution say that anyone that will vote in an election must be 18years and above, so why use this one now to put confusion