The Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed on a new order of arrangement for the 2019 general elections.
Based on the concurrence announced on Tuesday afternoon by both chambers of the National Assembly at a Joint Conference, the National Assembly election is to now hold first, followed by gubernatorial and state assembly, and then the presidential election.
The House of Representatives had on January 24, 2018 re-ordered the elections.
The timetable released earlier by the Independent National Electoral Commission, National Assembly and Presidential elections remain February 16, 2019; while governorship and State House of Assembly elections, will hold on March 2, 2019.
The House amended section 25 of the Principal Act and substituted it with a new section 25 (1).
According to the section, the elections shall be held in the following order: (a) National Assembly election (b) State Houses of Assembly and Governorship elections (c) Presidential election.
Similarly, section 87 was amended by adding a new section 87 (11) with a marginal note: “Time for primaries of political parties.
“The primaries of political parties shall follow the following sequence (i) State House of Assembly (ii) National Assembly (iii) Governorship, and (iv), President.
“The dates for the above stated primaries shall not be held earlier than 120 days and not later than 90 days before the date of elections to the offices.”
