A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has presented a memorandum to the National Assembly for the holistic reform of the electoral system in Nigeria.
The ‘Citizens Memorandum on Electoral Reform’ was presented to the National Assembly’s joint committee on electoral matters, a statement signed by Samson Itodo, executive director, YIAGA Africa, on behalf of members of the coalition, said on Tuesday in Abuja.
The aim was to improve Nigeria’s electoral legal framework by ensuring good mangement of elections, and democratic participation of all citizens, including marginalised groups.
The proposal was developed with the support of European Union’s Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN), based on input from a Citizens’ Town Hall on Electoral Reforms.
According to Mr Itodo, the memorandum is focused on the amendment of the Constitution, Electoral Act, and 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) and its unbundling, electoral offences, diaspora voting and electoral technology,” Mr Itodo said.
He said that the memorandum was presented to the committee by Akin Akingbulu, the executive director of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO).
“We are optimistic that the memorandum will serve as a critical resource to serve as a roadmap for guiding lawmakers and 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.
“We urge the National Assembly to strongly consider the proposals that we are presenting in this Citizens’ Memorandum on Electoral Reforms,” Akin Akingbulu was quoted as saying.
Another member of the coalition, Lanre Arogundade, the director of International Press Centre (IPC), urged the National Assembly to carry out extensive consultations nationwide to get inputs from citizens on the electoral reform.
Mr Arogundade said it was important that the National Assembly promptly conclude the process for the amendment of the legal framework for the conduct of elections in Nigeria.
This, he said, would provide the opportunity to test the efficacy of the Act before the 2027 general elections.
The memorandum was received on behalf of the National Assembly by the chairman, House of Representatives committee on electoral matters, Adebayo Balogun, who appreciated the coalition for putting together the proposals.
“One thing that this Assembly is committed to is ensuring that we deliver an improved electoral legal framework that will guarantee elections that Nigerians can all be proud of.
“This is critical to rebuilding trust in our electoral system. We will be looking at all possible ideas that can help us achieve this,” he said.
The EU-SDGN cohort is made up of Centre for Media and Society; Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa; and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre; DAI Nigeria; ElectHER; International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance; International IDEA; Institute for Media and Society; and the International Press Centre (IPC).
Others are Justice, Development and Peace Initiative (JDPI), Ado-Ekiti, Peace and Development Movement (JPDM), Oyo; and Justice, Development and Peacemakers Centre (JDPMC), Osogbo.
The rest are The Kukah Centre; Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund (NWTF); Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC); SOS Children’s Village; TAF Africa and Yiaga Africa.
(NAN)
