The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, says his office will delete Section 84 (12) of the Amended New Electoral Act.
Malami’s stand was disclosed in a statement signed by his media aide, Umar Gwandu, on Friday after a Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State ordered the AGF to immediately delete the section of the Act.
The section of the act restricts sitting cabinet members from contesting for elective offices without resigning.
According to the statement, the Act would be gazetted after the “offensive provision” had been deleted.
The statement reads: “The office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will accordingly give effect to the Court judgment in line with the dictates of the law and the spirit of the judgment.
“The judgment of the Court will be recognized by the Government printers in printing the Electoral Act.
“The Act will be gazetted factoring the effect of the judgment into consideration and deleting the constitutionally offensive provision accordingly.
“The provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 is not part of our law and will be so treated accordingly.
“This is in line with the dictates of chapter 7, Part 4, Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) on enforcement of decisions that make it a point of duty and obligation on all authorities and persons to have the judgment of the Federal High Court, among others, to be enforced.”
