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INEC advocates ‘bipartisan’ approach to Electoral Act amendment

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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Friday urged the National Assembly to use a bipartisan approach in amending the Electoral Act to help improve conduct of elections in the country.

The INEC chief made the call at the inauguration of the Joint Technical Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill in Abuja.

The event was organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters with support from Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).

Yakubu, who was represented at the forum by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, said the amendment was timely, adding that more fundamentally, the reforms must be impactful, approached from a bipartisan angle, devoid of divisive issues and concluded at least by the first quarter of 2021.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had last year pledged the commitment of the National Assembly to the passage of the Electoral Act amendment bill by the end of first quarter of 2021.

READ ALSO: INEC: No political party has complied with the Electoral Act on election expenses

Yakubu welcomed the renewed efforts and commitment by the leadership of the National Assembly towards amending the electoral legal framework for the conduct of elections.

He said the renewed drive by the lawmakers was timely and must be sustained and approached with a sense of history and urgency.

According to him, the efforts must be diffused with clearly defined timelines, priority, interventions and strategic thinking.

Yakubu said that the commission was fully committed to the amendment Electoral Act and would continue to offer suggestions and recommendations that would help improve the conduct of elections in the country.

The INEC chief said: “The Constitution and the Electoral Act are not self-executory and both operate through the actions and inactions of the critical stakeholders in the electoral process.”

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