From Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja, 03.29.2006

The upper legislative house, however, awaits the concurrence of the lower house, before the bill will be passed into law.
Before the bill was passed, Senator Joy Emordi (PDP, Anambra) had canvassed ban of masquerades during electioneering campaigns, but the Senate opted for a provision that masquerades should not be used to intimidate opponents.

In permitting Section 96 (1) of the bill, which provides N10million limit as individual contributions to political parties, the Senate weighed the arguments of Senators Farouk Bello-Bunza (ANPP, Kebbi); Uche Chukwumerije (PDP, Abia); and Idris Kuta (PDP, Niger) who held the views that such amount would allow for hijacking of the political processes by moneybags.

Senators Udoma Udo Udoma (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Patrick Osakwe (PDP, Delta), however, said the N2million limit is low, compared to political spending in the country, while Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu) argued that INEC be allowed to vary the limit based on economic conditions.

Udoma, who spoke with newsmen in the company of senators David Brigidi (PDP, Bayelsa); Umar Dahiru (ANPP, Sokoto) and Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane (ANPP, Kogi) said "today was a milestone for the Senate. The Electoral Bill which for the last three or four weeks which the Senate has been deliberating upon was finally passed by the Senate."

Asked to comment on a statement credited to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, that the commission will use electronic voting system in spite of the ban imposed by the new Electoral Bill as passed by the Senate, Senator Udoma said "the function of the National Assembly is to make laws, and once we have made the law, our responsibility ceases and once we have made the law it is for everybody to obey."

There were 176 clauses presented by the Committee to the Senate, out of which 171 clauses were adopted.

INEC had submitted the bill to Senate in 2004, and Brigidi, who was then Senate Committee Chairman on INEC, embarked on public hearing in the six geo-political zones.