FACT CHECK: See Uwais Report Buhari may duplicate using Nnamani

Senator Ken Nnamani and 24 others were on Tuesday inaugurated by the Attorney-General of the Federal (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as members of the committee on Constitution and Electoral Reform. 

The development came a day after President Muhammadu Buhari was reported by the Minister to have said that his administration was embarking on reforms to ensure an electoral process that would meet global standards and satisfy the desire of the electorates.

Is the Nnamani Committee another job for the boys? What fresh perspectives will it bring to the table given the extensive work earlier done by Justice Uwais and his committee? Will this not be another financial drain on an already beleaguered economy?

While the debate rages, Ripples Nigeria serves you the unedited version of the Uwais Electoral Reform Report (Download) which the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan failed to successfully implement, and which President Buhari is seeking to duplicate through the Nnamani committee.

In inaugurating the committee, the AGF noted that, “The Committee is expected to review electoral environment, laws and experiences from recent elections conducted in Nigeria and make recommendations to strengthen and achieve the conduct of free and fair elections in Nigeria.”

He added, “The committee is also advised to take a holistic look at the recommendations of Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee.”

The Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Panel was set up by late President Umar Yar’adua in 2007 following the outcry over the election that brought him to power.

Among others, the Uwais committee recommended the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission and two other bodies; the Constituency Delimitation Commission and the Political Parties’ Registration and Regulatory Commission.

Read also: Buhari drags Nnamani out of retirement to head electoral reform committee
In the run up to the 2011 and 2015 elections, members of the civil society, led by Conference of Nigeria Political Parties(CNPP) and Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), had strongly canvassed that the Justice Uwais Report be implemented without any alterations. Both platforms were led by today’s top All Progressives Congress Party (APC) stalwarts which include Osita Okechukwu, current Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, acclaimed national leader of APC.

The members of the Nnamani committee are Oluwole Uzzi, O. O. Babalola, Mr Duruaku Chima, Mrs Musa Maryam, H.A Tahir, Ike Udunni, S.O Ibrahim, and Esther Uzoma.

Others include Muiz Banire, Eze Philip, Bashir Ibrahim, AbiolaAkiyode-Afolabi, Utum Eteng, Ejike Eze, Mamman Lawal, A.C Ude and E. Ifendu,

The remaining are Francis Bullen, Anike Nwoga, Cecilia Adams, Clement Nwankwo, C. Jude, Mohammed Tukur and Juliet Ibekaku.

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