Gbajabiamila pledges commitment to ensure electoral reform

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday expressed his commitment towards ensuring the reform of the nation’s electoral system.

Gbajabiamila, who stated this during an interactive session with the European Union (EU) Observers Mission delegation, hinted that the reforms, which aimed at improving on noticeable lapses of the electoral system, would be effected before the 2023 general elections.

He said the Federal Government’s decision to invite the Mission to monitor the general elections showed its commitment to transparency, maintaining that Nigeria made significant progress in the electoral process during the last general elections notwithstanding noticeable lapses.

But the Mission’s Deputy Chief Observer, Hannah Roberts, who harped on the need for Nigeria to put stronger regulations of the process as well as compilation of election results, also stressed the need for transparency, collaboration between Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and early preparation of requisite security measures ahead of the elections.

In a related development, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Idris Wase, who spoke while addressing Plateau State Youth Council led by its chairman, Jenchang Fabong, called for the support of Nigerians and relevant stakeholders in the bid to address various socio-economic and political challenges facing the country.

However, the Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has called for an urgent reform of the nation’s electoral processes to accommodate access to information and void of discrepancies in the last election.

It also urged President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to consider the political reforms bill sent in by the last legislature while it works with all Nigerian citizens, state institutions, parties, civil society, the media and other experts to ensure that the recommendations by the EU, other cognate institutions were implemented.

The group made the call in a statement signed by its Head of Media and Publications, Toyin Odofin.

Meanwhile, the EU has been implored not to relent in mounting sufficient pressure on the Federal Government for electoral reforms.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike stated this yesterday at a forum of the EU Heads of Missions in Abuja where he spoke on the theme: “Understanding current political and security situation in Rivers State in particular and Niger Delta region in general,” said what happened in the state during the 2019 elections was condemnable because security agencies tried to manipulate the electoral process to deprive the people the opportunity of allowing their votes to count.