The senate yesterday passed the rejigged Electoral Act Amendment Bill and restricted election expenses of any presidential candidate to a maximum of N5 billion.

Similarly, they tinkered with the election expenses for governorship candidates, and pegged it at N1 billion, while senatorial candidates are to limit their expenses to N250 million.

Adopting a report submitted by its committee on INEC, the senate approved the amendment of section 91 of the Electoral Act 2010 restricting the election expenses for House of Representatives candidate at N100 million; House of Assembly candidate, N30 million; chairmanship of area council, N30 million while the councilorship candidate must not spend over N5 million.

According to the latest amendment, no individual or other entity shall donate N10 million to a candidate just as section 91(10) stipulates that “a candidate who knowingly acts in contravention of this section, commits an offence and is liable on conviction toafineofoneonepercent of the amount permitted
as the limit of campaign expenditure under this Act or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both.”

President Muhammadu Buhari had previously rejected the Bill three times, citing “loopholes” in some of the sections of the amendments Bill.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, shortly after the approval of the Amendment Bill, hailed the committee.

•Excerpted from Daily Sun report