- highlights benefits of previous attempts
By Olanrewaju Adesanya
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu has urged the National Assembly to expedite action regarding proposed electoral reforms.
Professor Yakubu made the plea at the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters 2 days retreat session in conjuction with INEC,supported by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) on Monday.
The INEC boss hinted that a fast tracked reform of the Nigerian electoral system by the NASS will help in proffering an holistic solution to myriads of challenges the body often grapples with during the electoral cycles.
“For us in INEC the coming together of lawmakers who also have field experience as practising politicians and the commission who are electoral manager saddled with the responsibility of organising, supervising and undertaking all elections in Nigeria except the local government elections is a positive development for electoral reforms in Nigeria.
“We believe that a retreat such as this one provides a focus engagement and a better incite into the challenges of election management, your own work can be achieved in view hours of public hearing in a committee room at the national Assembly.
“As we embark on yet another review of our electoral laws, we will share with the lawmakers our field experience and draw attention to some of the proposed reforms and their implication for the management of elections.
“This is what makes a retreat of this nature a unique opportunity to improve our electoral system rooted in the legal frameworks.
“Finally I wish to appeal to the National Assembly to expedite action to conclude the electoral legal reforms speedily, so that the commission will have enough time for implementation of any new laws.”
The commission cited the data increase and the need to accommodate all in the electoral process as one of the bottle necks, while highlighting major achievements linked to the past reforms.
“Moreover the voters register has been increasing by an average of 10million voters from 2011 till the last election in 2023 which is the basis for planning the procurement of sensitive materials.
“The solution was to amend the electoral act, to provide for more time between primaries and the nomination of candidates on the one hand and the date fixed for election on the other.
“The commission initially asked for one year which was not favourably considered by the lawmakers, who eventually settled for the current 180 days that is six month.
“ As a result of that decision the commission had ample time to plan and consequently for the first time in three electoral cycles.
“The 2023 general election was not postponed on account of logistics associated with the printing and delivery of sensitive materials or any other reason at all.
“Equally significant is that since the restoration of democracy in 1999 not a single sheet of paper for the 2023 general election was printed outside Nigeria everything was done within the country.”
According to the Chairman of the retreat session Senator Musa Yar’adua the technological and security challenges that often bedevils the elections makes the retreat expedient.
Hon Prince Adebayo Balogun in his welcome address also highlighted the importance of the retreat adding that the proposed review of the electoral act will further help strengthen our the Nigerian democratic experience.
Balogun’s assertion was equally corroborated by the Minority leader Hon Kamorudeen Olalere from Osun state.
One of the INEC’s partners the PLAC’s Director Mr. Clement Nwankwo was quick to poke holes in some of the proposed reforms, adding that massive investment in technological innovations will go a long way in addressing basic issues confronting the electoral process in Nigeria.
He added that a timely conclusion of the electoral reforms before partisan consideration sets in will restore credibility for the election.
“Ghana achieved one day election the idea that you are voting over a trillion naira to conduct general election is unacceptable, a single day election will bring down the cost implication.
“NASS need to repeal the 2023 electoral act and re-enact a 2025 electoral act that encompasses all of the cited concerns of the citizens.”
