Senate Throws Out Bill on Voting Rights for Underage Girls

Senate Throws Out Bill on Voting Rights for Underage Girls

News - Women's Perspective

Nigeria’s Senate has thrown out the bill seeking to grant voting rights to underage girls.

The Senate Committee on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) matters chairman, Kabiru Gaya disclosed this while answering questions from newsmen in Abuja.

According to him, the committee resolved that any woman under the age of 16 cannot be allowed to vote even if she is married.

He said that a group had submitted a memorandum seeking the rights of girls under the age of 16 to vote.

In his words, “One of the people who came to the public hearing submitted the memorandum and argued that the word underage was not his, but any woman or man that is married should be considered an adult.

Kabiru Gaya added that “That was his reason. Our own resolve is that if a woman is at the age f 16 and she gets married, she should not be allowed to vote.

Senate Throws Out Bill on Voting Rights for Underage Girls

“But when we came to the committee, we discussed a lot on that and at the end of the day, we felt we could not go along with that suggestion and it was dropped.”

When asked why elections could not hold any other day besides Saturday, Gaya said that “If we move elections to Fridays some people will say it is their worship day.

“If we move it to Sundays, some other people will say it is their worship day. So, that suggestion was also thrown out.”

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