The National Assembly Election Process and the Electoral Umpire

The Clerk; the Clerk of the National Assembly has lots of important functions and roles we will come to on later date. His major functions for today are to operate as the chief electoral umpire for the National Assembly’s election (Jega of the National Assembly) and Chief Justice.

On the first sitting of the 8^th Assembly, pursuant to the proclamation of the first sitting of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Clerk will read the proclamation for the holding of the first session of the Senate. Then he proceeds to roll call, confirmation of writs of election and declaration of assets/liabilities of Senators-elect in alphabetical order. (The mace remain laid under the table throughout the process)

Before the swearing in Senators-elect, the Clerk of the National Assembly has to conduct and preside over the election of the President and the Deputy President of the Senate. Nominations for these positions are made in accordance to the ranking rule      

•   Senators returning based on number of times re-elected
•     Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives
•     Senators elected as Senators for the first time.

In the absence of returning Senators, Senators with House of Representative experience will be favored for nomination; the floor will be open to first timer senators if none of the above cadre exists. (These ranking requirements also apply to appointment of Principal Officers)

Addressing the Clerk, a Senator-elect will nominate another Senator-elect to be President of the Senate and move that such Senator-elect “do take the chair of the Senate as the President of the Senate”. After the motion is seconded, the nominated Senator-elect notifies if s/he accepts the nomination. At this juncture, the Clerk asks for further nominations, if none, the Clerk declare the sole candidate as the President of the Senate.

If more than one candidate emerges as nominees, the Senate goes into division; division in the Senate is a mode of voting, whereby the Clerk calls out each Senator’s name, asking each senator how s/he desires to vote and recording the votes accordingly. The Senate will divide with proposers and seconder of nominations (called Tellers), all senators-elect queues up with the proposers and seconders (Tellers) of their preferred candidate. The recording of names and votes are conducted by the Clerks-at-the-Table, upon completion of the voting process, the Clerk-at-the-Table (Clerk of the Senate) forwards the result of the division to the Clerk of the National Assembly.

The Clerk declares the Senator-elect with majority votes as President of the Senate. In a situation where there is tie, division shall continue until a winner emerges. The Deputy President also emerges through this process. Both Presiding officers are sworn in by taking the Oath/Affirmation of Allegiance and of membership prescribed in the Constitution before the Clerk of the National Assembly. The mace is laid on the Table as soon as the President of the Senate takes the Chair.