A former Senate President and a leading 2023 presidential aspirant, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has showered praises on Nigerian youths and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country for their roles in ensuring the birth of the new Amended Electoral Act 2022.
Sen. Saraki, who was speaking on Politics Today flagship programme of Channels Television, on Sunday, said that the pressure mounted by the CSOs and Nigerian youths was chiefly responsible for both the passage of the law and the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also commended the members of the National Assembly for even agreeing to discuss and pass the Bill.
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His words: “I must commend the Senate, for doing the right thing. And what is the right thing? It is to make laws intended got the good of the nation. And that action they took is in the interest of the majority of the people of this country…..
“I am very proud of the new Electoral Act. I commend the civil society organisations and the young people who did all the work. They never got tired. They never gave up. They never got tired of matrching to the National Assembly complex, they never got tired of meeting with all the relevant stakeholders.
According to Saraki, who is both a former governor of Kwara State and former chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, the new law, will bring a lot of fidelity to both the electoral process and the results therefrom.
Making specific reference to the issue of compelling political appointees wh wish to stand election to first resign their appointments before the primaries, Saraki said the previous arrangement gave such appointees undue advantage over other contestants. He said the new amendments had removed the arrogance of power that was the order of the day under the previous law.
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On the perennial problem of over-voting, result manipulation and other malpractices, Saraki said it was both the absence of electronic transmission of results and the absence of strong legal repercussions for electoral malfeasance and other loopholes in the old statute that necessitated some of the mind-boggling election figures that emerged from the likes of Borno and Kwara states in the last general elections.
Speaking of the state of the nation, including the parlous economy, the security challenge, fuel crises and the petroleum subsidy imbroglio, as well as his 2023 presidential ambition, Saraki also condemned the rejection of the gender bills by the lawmakers, adding that the subsequent rescinding of some of the decisions by the House of Representatives was a welcome development.
According to him, more of the decisions on the other three provisions need to be rescinded, even as the members of the Upper legislative chamber need to be brought on board in the new thinking.
*Full transcript of interview soon
