A coalition of 25 civil rights organisations on Friday congratulated Nigerians on the signing of the Electoral Amendment Bill by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), describing it as “the will of Nigerian people.”
According to them, the signing has marked a huge milestone in the nation’s quest to consolidate democracy.
The members of the coalition which pushed for the signing of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2022 included Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Partners for Electoral Reform, International Press Centre, Institute for Media and Society, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, The Albino Foundation, Centre for Citizens with Disability, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, Labour Civil Society Coalition, Transition Monitoring Group, CLEEN Foundation and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre.
Others were Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Nigeria Network of Non-Governmental Organisations, Inclusive Friends Association, Enough is Enough, The Electoral Hub, Centre for Liberty, Take Back Nigeria Movement, International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre, 100 Women Lobby Group, Women in Politics Forum, Raising New Voices, Millennials Active Citizenship Advocacy Africa and Ready To Lead Africa.
The CSOs made their position known in a joint statement released by the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo.
The statement read, “Today, Friday, February 25 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Electoral Bill 2022 into Law, marking a huge milestone in Nigerian’s quest to consolidate electoral democracy. The new Electoral Act, 2022 which incorporates innovative provisions that will enhance credibility of our electoral process, signifies a new era in the history of elections in Nigeria. More importantly, the new Electoral Act symbolizes the commitment of Nigerians to remain consistent in the demand for credible, free, inclusive, transparent and fair elections.
“We, as civil society commend the President for fulfilling his promise of assenting to the Electoral Bill. We also commend the National Assembly for their responsiveness in ensuring the Bill substantially reflects the will of the Nigerian people and for transmitting same to the President upon citizens demands as laid back in January 2022.
“We commend and congratulate Nigerians for their active participation and vigilance in engaging the electoral reform process since inception. Civil Society Organisations, and the media deserve special commendation for their steadfastness, resilience and sustaining the pressure for successful completion of the electoral reform process. We also acknowledge the contributions of the development partners as well as other stakeholders that have consistently provided support towards the electoral reform process.
“Among other important provisions, this Electoral Act reviews timelines for election activities. For instance, the new Act requires the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a Notice of Election not later than 360 days to the next general election. We call on INEC to as a matter of urgency issue a notice of election and announce new dates for the 2023 general elections.”
The CSOs also called on the National Assembly to “ensure gazetted copies of the Electoral Act 2022 are available to citizens and election stakeholders in a timely manner” because “a delay in this will further reduce the opportunities for citizen’s and stakeholders to sufficiently familiarize with provisions in the new Act and support its implementation.
“This Electoral Act 2022, is a product of a consistent citizen’s actions and effective partnerships towards reforming Nigeria’s electoral process. History will reckon with this dedication towards building our electoral democracy.”
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