By David Lawani
The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has disclosed that the speedy passage of the electoral reforms bill into law by the Executive will be in the interest of the electoral process and for the good of Nigerians.
Yakubu made this call in a remark when he appeared before the Senate and House of Representatives Conference Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja noting that the Commission has been studying every aspect of the Bill as the election is anchored on a significant legal framework.
The INEC Boss said for almost two years, the Commission has interacted with the Senate Committee on INEC and the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, including a retreat in Lagos, to consider extensive proposals to amend the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
He said Commission was invited to join the technical committee that reviewed the draft Bill before the clause-by-clause consideration by the National Assembly. “Clearly, we are now at the last stage before the passage of the Bill by the National Assembly and submission to the Executive for assent”.
According to him: “I want to assure you that in a proactive manner, the Commission has been studying aspects of the amendment Bill and identifying areas that require the formulation of regulations and guidelines as well as the review of prescribed forms for implementation. This will enable the Commission to test-run procedures and pilot innovations ahead of the 2023 General Election. The speedy passage of the Bill will be in the best interest of our electoral process.
“The Electoral Act is one of the most important laws in any democracy. The election is a process anchored on a legal framework. First is the Constitution, followed by the Electoral Act. In all jurisdictions, the Electoral Act provides more detailed provisions to govern the conduct of elections and the electoral process.
“One of the unique aspects of the current amendment of the Electoral Act is that it started well ahead of the forthcoming General Election, unlike previous exercises which came too close to elections. The importance of starting early is that it allows for a thorough debate by citizens on aspects of the Bill long after the conventional public hearing as witnessed recently. Clearly, the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 is one of the most extensively debated Bills in Nigeria”, he said.
The Commission said further that the place of technology in elections management cannot be overemphasized as evidence abound that in recent elections it has conducted, technology has assisted greatly in making the process smooth and free of unnecessary challenges.
Yakubu thanked the National Assembly committee for considering it necessary to empower the Commission on deploying the best technology it sees fit that can help clean up the electoral process saying that the Commission looks up to the completion of the process without which it cannot really do much when it comes to the Regulations and Guidelines of the manuals for the elections. He said time is of the essence as only about 484 days are left for the 2023 General Election.
“Understandably, the issue of technology in elections has dominated recent public discussions in Nigeria. The Commission appreciates the decision of the National Assembly to empower INEC to determine and deploy appropriate technology in future elections. For us in INEC, this is one of the progressive decisions by our National Assembly.
“As you finalize on the Electoral Amendment Bill, I urge you to continue to endow the Commission with the power to determine what technology to deploy in our elections at the appropriate time. One way of doing so is to make broad provisions of the law that will empower the Commission to continue to innovate without restricting us to a specific technology such as the Smart Card Reader which could in due course become obsolete, inapplicable, or irrelevant as is already the case following the recent introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) by the Commission.
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“The Commission looks forward to the conclusion of the process without which we cannot make the Regulations and Guidelines to give effect to the provisions of the law. Without the Regulations and Guidelines, we cannot finalise on the manuals for the training of officials that will conduct elections. There are extensive provisions in the current Bill that require clear guidance by the Commission. With only 484 days to the 2023 General Election, time is of the essence.
“In addition to the Anambra State Governorship election holding on 6th November 2021, the Commission has already scheduled three major elections to be conducted next year. First is the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) held on 12th February 2022, followed by the Ekiti Governorship election on 18th June 2022 and the Osun Governorship election a month later on 16th July 2022. The Commission also has five pending bye-elections made up of three Federal Constituencies and two State Constituencies to contend with.
“INEC will continue to work closely with the National Assembly and I thank you for the opportunity to speak to you on this occasion. God bless”, the Commission noted
