Chairman of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters Senator Simon Lalong has assured Nigerians that issues raised towards conducting free, fair and credible elections in the country will be addressed in the ongoing Electoral reform by the 10th National Assembly.
Speaking during a Joint Technical Committee Session on the Reform of the electoral Legal Framework governing the electoral system held in Abuja, senator Lalong said the 10th National Assembly Senate and House of Representative Committees on Electoral Matters Constituted themselves into a Joint Committee on Electoral Matters and a Sub-Committee known as Technical Working Committee in October 2023.
It immediately commenced the implementation of a pragmatic Electoral Reform Work-Plan which focused on consultations and engagement of Elections Stakeholders, collaboration with government institutions and relevant non- government organizations especially in seeking inputs and feedback on amendments of some clauses of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Senator Lalong who represents Plateau South Senatorial informed the gathering that in an effort to fix some of the problems in Nigeria’s electoral system, 79 sections and subsections have been repealed and enacted in the Electoral Act, 2022.
This according to him is an indication that the Joint Committee will build on the good work of previous members by reaching out to all stakeholders aimed in redefining a smooth process of our proposed Bill, 2025.
He challenged members to be diligent on the assignment as any functional democracy relies on the sanctity, credibility and transparency of its electoral process.
Also speaking, the Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee Hon. Adebayo Balogun said as Lawmakers Custodians of democratic values, must recognize that electoral reform is not a one-time event-it is an evolving process that most reflect the realties, challenges, and aspiration of Nigerians.
He said the meeting will closely look at all sections and Sub-sections of the proposed Electoral Amendment Bill 2025 and to come up with clean policy workable document ready for consideration at plenary by July, 2025.
In a goodwill message, Clement Nwankwo, Executive Director,Policy And Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) described the session as a pivotal step in the collective effort to strengthen the legal architecture that underpins Nigeria’s elections.
He said all stakeholders must be bold and sincere in identifying gaps and making proposals to resolve them in the pursuit of a Legal Framework that ensures free, fair, and credible elections.
Also present at the session were Cassandra Carraway, Political Officer, Embassy of the United States of America, Chris Okeke, Government Team Lead. British High Commission among others.
Senator Lalong later attended the inauguration of Ms. Rose Chundung Ndong as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences society.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.