From Our Correspondent
To improve Nigeria’s electoral legal framework, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), has presented its Citizens Memorandum on Electoral Reforms to the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.
TheNewsZenith reports that the Executive Director of YIAGA, Samson Itodo, announced this in a statement on behalf of the coalition members, on Tuesday, in Abuja.
The coalition’s focus is on elections, good governance and democratic participation for citizens and traditionally marginalised groups for credible, inclusive elections.
Also, the coalition, which is the implementing partner of the European Union’s Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN), compiled the memorandum based on input from a Citizens’ Town Hall on Electoral Reforms.
Itodo said the memorandum focused on three core pillars of the electoral legal framework for the conduct of elections.
These included the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and the Electoral Act 2022. The third one is INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Elections.
“It contains 21 recommendations for constitutional amendments and 16 amendments for amending the Electoral Act.
“These recommendations cover all aspects of elections in Nigeria, including independence for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“They also covered INEC’s unbundling, electoral offences, diaspora voting and electoral technology,” Itodo said.
Presenting the memorandum to the committee, Dr Akin Akingbulu, the Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), said the coalition hoped the memorandum would serve its purpose.
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“We are optimistic that the memorandum will serve as a critical resource to serve as a roadmap for guiding lawmakers.
“It will also guide all election stakeholders through priority areas in need of immediate attention.
“These amendments are strategic in their scope and ambitious in their vision. Yet they are also rooted in practicality, responding to the realities of our current electoral system,” he said.
Another coalition member, Mr Lanre Arogundade, the Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), urged the National Assembly to carry out extensive consultations across the country to articulate citizens’ ideas for electoral reforms.
Arogundade said the National Assembly should promptly conclude the process for the amendment of the legal framework for election conduct.
This, he said, would provide the opportunity to test the efficacy of the Act before the 2027 general elections.
Adebayo Balogun, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, received the memorandum on behalf of the National Assembly.
Balogun thanked the coalition for producing the memorandum. He assured them that the National Assembly would look into the proposals.
“This Assembly is committed to delivering an improved electoral legal framework that will guarantee elections that Nigerians can all be proud of,” he said.
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