The integrity and transparency of any democratic system hinge on the constitutional framework 1 governing its electoral process. Over the past two decades of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (“Constitution”) has undergone numerous amendments to adapt to the evolving needs of the nation. Among these amendments, the fifth (5 ) Alteration of the Constitution, Bill No. 22, 2022 (“the Bill”), signed into law by the former president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on 17 March 2023, stands out.
This Bill introduced a significant change by excluding intervening events from the computation of time for determining pre-election matters, election petitions, and appeals arising therefrom…