•Wants quick presidential assent
•Without regulations, guidelines, we cannot finalise on manuals for training of officials
•INEC releases notice for Anambra governorship election
Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed for the fast tracking of the processes leading to the passage and signing into law of the Electoral Act amendment Bill.
This is just as the Commission, yesterday, released the notice of the governorship election in Anambra State slated for November 6.
With only 484 days to the 2023 general elections, INEC said time was of essence if it would be able to put necessary guidelines in place for the elections in line with the provisions of the amended Electoral Act (2021).
In his remarks at the meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives Conference Committee on the Electoral Act amendment bill 2021 held in Abuja yesterday, in collaboration with Policy, Legislative and Advocacy Centre (PLAC), the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said without the timely passage of the bill, the Commission cannot make the regulations and guidelines to give effect to the provisions of the law.
Yakubu said: “The Commission looks forward to the conclusion of the process without which we cannot make the regulations and guidelines to give effect to the provisions of the law.
“Without the regulations and guidelines, we cannot finalise on the manuals for the training of officials that will conduct elections. There are extensive provisions in the current bill that requires clear guidance by the Commission”
Yakubu also said early enactment of the Electoral law would enable the Commission to test-run procedures and pilot innovations ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The bill which is now at the last stage before the passage by the National Assembly and submission to the executive for assent, provides amongst others, the use of electronic device for transmission of election results.
Yakubu said in addition to the Anambra State governorship election holding on November 6, 2021, the Commission has already scheduled three major elections to be conducted next year.
“First is the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) holding on 12th February 2022, followed by the Ekiti Governorship election on 18th June 2022 and the Osun Governorship election a month later on 16th July 2022.
“The Commission also has five pending bye-elections made up of three Federal Constituencies and two State Constituencies to contend with.
“I want to assure you that in a proactive manner, the Commission has been studying aspects of the amendment Bill and identifying areas that require the formulation of regulations and guidelines as well as the review of prescribed forms for implementation.
“This will enable the Commission to test-run procedures and pilot innovations ahead of the 2023 General Election. The speedy passage of the Bill will be in the best interest of our electoral process,” he said.
While highlighting the fundamental role of the Electoral Act in the conduct of the election, Yakubu said the Act was one of the most important laws in any democracy.
He stated that one of the unique aspects of the current amendment of the Electoral Act was that it started well ahead of the forthcoming general elections, unlike previous exercises which came too close to elections.
The INEC boss solicited further cooperation from the National Assembly to make broad provisions of the law that would empower the Commission to continue to innovate without necessarily restricting it to a specific technology such as the Smart Card Reader which could in due course become obsolete, inapplicable or irrelevant as was the case the recent introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) by the Commission.
“Election is a process anchored on a legal framework. First is the constitution, followed by the Electoral Act. In all jurisdictions, the Electoral Act provides more detailed provisions to govern the conduct of elections and the electoral process.
“The importance of starting early is that it allows for a thorough debate by citizens on aspects of the Bill long after the conventional public hearing as witnessed recently. Clearly, the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 is one of the most extensively debated Bills in Nigeria.
“Understandably, the issue of technology in elections has dominated recent public discussions in Nigeria. The Commission appreciates the decision of the National Assembly to empower INEC to determine and deploy appropriate technology in future elections.
“For us at INEC, this is one of the progressive decisions by our National Assembly. As you finalise on the Electoral Amendment Bill, I urge you to continue to endow the Commission with power to determine what technology to deploy in our elections at the appropriate time.”
INEC Releases Notice for Anambra Governorship Election
Meanwhile, INEC yesterday, released the notice of the governorship election in Anambra State slated for November 6.
With this development, however, INEC said all the governorship candidates have been scheduled to sign a peace accord on November 4.
A statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye stated that, “So far, the Commission has successfully implemented 12 out of 14 activities in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities.
“The Commission has today published the Notice of Poll at its state and all the local government offices in Anambra State. By Section 46 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), the Commission shall, not later than 14 days before the day of the election, cause to be published, a notice specifying the date and hours fixed for the poll; the persons entitled to vote; and the location of the polling units.
“In the same vein, today is the last day for the submission of names of polling agents by political parties. By Section 45 of the Electoral Act, each political party may by notice in writing, addressed to the Electoral Officer of the local government, appoint a polling agent for each polling unit and collation centre.
“The notice shall set out the name and address of the polling agent, accompanied by two passport photographs of each polling agent, and sample signature of the agent, at least, 14 days before the date fixed for the election. Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to the law and the guidelines for the deployment of polling agents. Only duly accredited polling agents will be allowed to operate at the polling units and collation centres,” Okoye explained.
Accordingly, the INEC national commissioner said he was satisfied with the current level of preparations, explaining that, “Virtually all non-sensitive materials have been delivered in readiness for the election.
“The training of ad-hoc staff is also going on as scheduled. The Commission is in touch with the National Peace Committee under the Chairmanship of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) GCFR. Preparations are underway for the signing of the Peace Accord in Awka on Thursday 4th November 2021.”
Okoye further said the commission noted with appreciation, the role of religious, traditional and community leaders in Anambra State as well as civil society, socio-cultural associations and the media in appealing for peace during electioneering campaign and election day activities.
He posited that with just a little over two weeks to the election, the Commission appealed for support from all and sundry in Anambra to ensure that the election was not only peaceful but also free, fair and credible.
