The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria has announced that it has begun an extensive review of the country’s Electoral Act Amendment Bill. Through this review, the country intends to reduce the cost of elections, ensure the deployment of effective election technology and include stringent punishment for violators of electoral laws.
The Chairman of the Commission in Nigeria, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, noted that experiences from recent elections showed major flaws in the current electoral legal framework, highlighting an urgent need for its review and amendment.
He further stated that the review, along with intended improvement plans, will increase confidence among citizens and the voting community by making the electoral process more transparent and credible. Additionally, he noted that entrenching internal democracy among political parties, reducing costs of elections, curbing violence and ensuring the security of lives and properties during the elections, were paramount in the review.
Yakubu announced this on Monday in Lagos, Nigeria, at the opening of a retreat for the review of the electoral legal framework. The event was jointly organised by the Commission, the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
During his address, the commissioner said: “Listening to Nigerians, it is clear that a review of the Electoral Act in particular and our electoral legal framework in general, must be anchored on a number of factors which include, entrenching internal democracy within political parties, ensuring inclusivity in the electoral process for marginalized segments of society such as women, youths and persons living with disability and ensuring violators of electoral laws are effectively sanctioned.”
Addressing the issue of vote tampering and violations of electoral laws, Yakubu stated that the amended Act will reflect strict consequences for defaulters.
“As part of the reforms of the key components of the Electoral Act, we will like to see effective sanctions on those who violate electoral laws of this country,” expanding on his statement, he also added, “Any country that does not penalize offenders is doomed and we must find a way of penalizing electoral offenders so that impunity can be at best reduced or even eliminated completely,” he said
The 2019 general elections in Nigeria were marred by voter apathy, violence and alleged cases of vote tampering and disruption of the electoral process, which resulted in several candidates, including the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, contesting the election results at different levels.
Observers look forward to recording the steps being taken to ensure better election processes in Nigeria following this announcement.
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
