FALANA TO BUHARI: Remember you’re ECOWAS chairman, sign the new electoral bill now

Foremost human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the new electoral act amendment bill into law.

He said the bill should be “urgently” signed now to avoid late alteration to arrangements for the 2019 elections, in accordance with the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance act.

Falana said the new bill should be promptly signed into law in view of the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the 2019 elections will commence in February 2019.

He said, “In making this call the attention of the president ought to be drawn to article 2 (1) of the Economic Community of West African States Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance which provides that: ‘No substantial modification shall be made to the electoral laws in the last six (6) months before the elections, except with the consent of majority of political actors’.”

Read also: EXPLOSIVE! Tinubu bombs Saraki, Tambuwal

He cited an example with the case of Congress of Democracy and Progress v Republic of Burkina Faso where the Ecowas Court ruled that “all the member states of the ECOWAS are bound by the provisions of the protocol on democracy and good governance”.

“Since the modification made to the 2010 Electoral Act is substantial, the bill cannot be passed in less than six months to the 2019 general election,” Falana added.

“Since Nigeria is legally obliged to comply with the said Protocol, President Buhari who is the current chairman of the ECOWAS should ensure that the Electoral Bill 2018 is assented to without any further delay.”

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now