The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Friday, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2022 into law.
IPAC’s National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, commended the President in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Sani described the President’s assent to the bill as a step in the right direction, adding that such a decision would strengthen the country’s electoral process.
“We commend the President for signing the Bill into law. This is long overdue.
“We believe the President has done us proud to have an electoral process that not only Nigeria will be proud of, because we are leaders in Africa.
“In the black race, we are the largest,” Sani said.
He noted that IPAC believed that signing the Bill into law would also reduce some of the challenges facing the conduct of elections in the country.
IPAC identified such challenges as snatching of ballot boxes and electoral violence.
According to him, there will be electronic transmission of election results.
Sani also expressed the council’s support for the call on the National Assembly by the President to amend Section 84 (12).
NAN reports that the section compels serving political office holders to resign more than 30 days before he/she can vote or be voted for at Conventions or Congresses of any political party, for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.
Sani noted that the clause was not in tandem with the Nigerian constitution and should be amended.
He urged the national assembly to immediately effect the amendment, as requested by the President.
Sani called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately begin the adoption of the new Act, for the preparations of the 2023 general elections.
“I believe that INEC is happy that they have a better law they can work with.
“The commission can now go ahead and release the timetable and guidelines for 2023 general elections because there is no much time to be wasted,” Sani said.