Chairperson Inec urged the Reform of Fast Election to Strengthen Democracy

The Chairperson of the Independent National Election Commission (Inec), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has underlined the critical needs for sustainable reforms of the Nigerian Election Law, emphasizing the urgency to apply the necessary changes without delay.

Yakubu filed this appeal when speaking to members of the Committee with the National Assembly on the issue of election during the strategic retreat held in Lagos on Monday.

Reflecting the same collaborative session in 2020, which eventually opened the way for the enactment of the 2022 Landmark Election Law, Jacobu highlighted the in -depth impact of reforming in modernizing the state election process.

He stated, “That effort, among many other initiatives, resulted in revocation and re-demonstration of the 2010 Election Law (as amended). The result was the current election law 2022.” This important reform, according to the Chairperson of Inec, effectively discusses critical legal gaps, significantly increases technological integration into the electoral system, and includes valuable recommendations from the previous election reform committee.

Jacobu further described the synergy between the Election and Legislative Board, noted, “For us in Inec, who gathered with members of parliament, who also had field experience as a practical politician, and the commission as a selected election manager with constitutional responsibility for organizing, conducting general elections and overseeing all elections in Nigeria (except constitutionally by parliament members on an important task to perfect the election framework.

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He also showed the unique value of such a retreat, “We believe that retreats like this provide a better focused involvement and insight about the challenges of election management outside of what can be achieved in a few hours of public hearing in the Committee Room in the National Assembly.”

Significant emphasis points in Jacobu’s address are amendments that have an impact on election laws that expand the important period between the conclusions of the party’s preliminary election and the implementation of general elections. He explained that the previous 60 days window often placed Inec under a great pressure, often leading to logistics challenges.

“The solution is to change the Election Law to give more time between the preliminary selection of the party and candidate nomination on the one hand and the date set for the election on the other,” Jakubu explained, highlighting how to extend up to 180 days facilitate better planning and contribute significantly to the success of the implementation of 2023 general elections without determining after the determination of whatever success.

The Chair of Inec is also proud to highlight other historical milestones achieved during the 2023 election: For the first time since the return of Nigeria to democratic government in 1999, all sensitive election materials, including ballots and results sheets, were printed domestically.

This Tengara achievement, which gathered praise from the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria, marked a big step ahead in strengthening local capacity for complicated national election management. “There is no single piece of paper for the 2023 general elections printed outside Nigeria,” Jacobu said proudly.

In the future, Jacobu submits a direct appeal to the National Assembly for a quick action in completing the legal framework that will regulate the election in the future. “I want to appeal to the National Assembly to accelerate actions to conclude the election legal framework quickly so that the commission will have enough time for implementation,” he asked.

He expressed his gratitude to the Commission Development Partner for their sustainable support and requested members of parliament to prioritize the reforms needed to enable adequate preparation time before the next of the next election cycle.

Jacobu concluded his speech by underlines the very necessary role of a strong and well -defined legal framework in ensuring the continuous improvement of the Nigerian selection process and the eternal strengthening of its democratic foundation.

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