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Anglican Bishop calls for far reaching reforms to make INEC more effective

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After 2019 election experience, INEC harps on need for electoral reforms

The Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Kaduna, Rev. Timothy Yahaya, has called on the Federal Government to implement far reaching reforms to make the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) more effective.

Rev. Yahaya who was reacting to alleged electoral malpractices that characterized the 2019 general elections, called for financial autonomy for INEC in order to guarantee its independence, free, fair and credible subsequent elections.

The clergyman who spoke on Saturday while delivering his address at the 21st Synod of the Anglican Communion also suggested that sitting Judges should be made returning officers in future elections.

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He said; “The way the chairman and members are appointed into the electoral commission, how they are fired and funded could determine how independent the body would be in conducting free and fair elections.

“The last elections seem to have put paid to the fears that an electoral body appointed by a ruling party and approved by the Senate, fired by the ruling party and funded by the government headed by it, could be compromised to do the bidding of that party.”

Rev. Yahaya further argued that “consolidated fund, backed by law could be set up for the electoral commission to avoid bottlenecks that usually arise from power play among executive and the legislature.”

“Full electronic voting system as earlier opined is the best solution as the polling unit for real voting would be online, not in physical location, while some other electioneering activities might still be done in physical spaces,” he added.

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