Awka – A pro-democracy group, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law, the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, saying such would represent the most significant legacy of his presidency.
According to the CDD, the proposals in the Electoral Bill 2021 will truly improve the country’s electoral system and the political party’s candidate selection process.
The National Assembly, had in November, transmitted the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2021 to President Buhari for assent.
The Senate had re-amended certain aspects of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill contained in Clauses 43, 52, 63, and 87, respectively, following a motion for re-committal moved by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi.
In all, 21 clauses were harmonized, including the contentious clause 52; which makes provision for Electronic Transmission of Election Result.
The CDD believes that with the successful integration of technology into the electoral process, a legal backing for electronic voting and transmission of election results will further President Buhari’s commitment to improving Nigeria’s election.
In a statement signed by its Director, Idayat Hassan, the Centre said the next critical step that must be taken is for the president to sign the Electoral Bill 2021 into law, particularly as the two off-cycle elections in Ekiti and Osun States in 2022 and the 2023 general election approach.
The group expressed the view that the amendment bill represents another beautiful outcome from the collaborative efforts of the Senate and House of Representatives, as it was thoroughly and meticulously handled by its committees on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Electoral Matters.
According to CDD, the new Electoral Bill contains provisions that seek to improve the electoral system, including the process of voting, collation, and announcement of results, and most importantly help address the lack of public confidence in the process.
“In addition, the direct primary method for candidate selection proposed in the Bill will improve internal party democracy by strengthening party membership.
“The poor internal processes are largely responsible for the weakness of political parties in Nigeria and have an adverse effect on the country’s governance system.
“With the direct primary election, every registered member of the party will directly determine their candidate, this CDD believes, will reduce the floodgates of litigation that usually trail the idea of consensus or imposition of candidates by political godfathers and party owners.
“When signed into law, the Electoral Bill will now effectively return the electoral power back to the original custodian, the people, in accordance with the dictate of democracy,” CDD noted.
It continued; “Unlike before, the citizens would now be positioned as the decider of who represent their political party and interest in the election instead of the status quo.
“As a keen watcher of the Nigerian political space, we have followed the entire process from the beginning to this point.
“From submission of memoranda to technical review, retreats, and extensive deliberations of all stakeholders, including contributions from critical stakeholders like the INEC, the political parties, civil society organizations, and youth groups.
“CDD, therefore, urges President Mohammad Buhari to sign the bill, and write his name in the golden place of history.”
