Electoral, Local Government, Judicial Reforms Our Priorities – Abbas

House of Representatives has listed electoral, local government and judicial reforms as its priorities.

He said the aim is to promote democracy, grassroot development and speedy dispensation of justice in the country.

The reforms are part of the priority areas of interventions contained in the recently unveiled Legislative Agenda of the Speaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.

The agenda acknowledged that the 2023 general elections excited the most interest in recent times, however, it suffered setbacks regarding the implementation of recent constitutional amendments and the new Electoral Act 2022.

Consequently, the House assured Nigerians that it will carefully examine complaints and observations made by stakeholders arising from the conduct of the 2023 general elections and carry out the needed reforms.

The Green Chamber in its agenda is to take specific actions such as amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 to remedy some of the gaps observed, including vague and contradicting provisions, and allow diaspora voting by government officials around the world.

It also indicated passing an independent legislation (the Political Parties Bill) to regulate the registration, financing and functioning of political parties in Nigeria and, by so doing, allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to focus on the conduct of elections.

The House further plans to set up a mechanism for periodic reviews of electoral laws to ensure they remain relevant and in tune with global best practices.

It intends to pass the National Electoral Offences Commission Bill to confer powers of the commission to prosecute electoral offences.

According to the legislative agenda, the House is to propose amendments to the constitution on issues related to elections in Nigeria to address some shortcomings.

These include “Appointment of the chairman and national commissioners of the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC); creation of an Electoral Offences Commission as an independent body; and relevance or otherwise of resident electoral commissioners of INEC in the states.

On local government reform, the House pledged to alter the constitution to recognise it as an independent tier with full financial and operational autonomy, and this will be done in consultation with states.

It also plans to “ensure that the roles and responsibilities of local governments are more clearly defined in the constitution to prevent overlaps and conflicts with state governments.

Others are to “amend the constitution to define the tenure of local government chairpersons and councillors to prevent undue interference; provide for independent local government election commissions or strengthen State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs) and ensure local governments play a role in maintaining security at the grassroots level, possibly by establishing local security outfits in collaboration with the state and federal governments. Foster a better collaboration between local governments and traditional rulers.”

The House said the judicial and legal system reform is targeted at ensuring faster dispensation of justice and autonomy of the judiciary through review of the appointment and removal process for judicial officers to ensure that it is merit-based and promotes greater independence.

It promised to improve the independence of the Judiciary through adequate budgetary allocation for the Judiciary for the welfare of judicial officers and staff, and enhancing technology to expedite the digitisation of court processes and upgrade court infrastructure for swift and fair justice delivery.

The lower house indicated that it will undertake a comprehensive review of obsolete laws, ensuring they align with contemporary realities and work with the Nigerian Law Reform Commission to update and publish the Laws of the Federation.

According to the legislative agenda, other areas of intervention include to: “Grant more powers to state and local courts to handle issues peculiar to their regions, reducing the caseload of federal courts.

“Ensure the full implementation of financial autonomy for the Judiciary at all levels; provide adequate funding for legal aid services to improve access to justice for all citizens, particularly marginalised groups and those with limited resources,” he said.

The House equally proposed to alter the constitution to delist the Land Use Act and National Youth Service Act, to strip them of their constitutional status to enable the National Assembly effect necessary amendments to align them with the prevailing situation in the country.

It also planned to alter the constitution to incorporate the Sovereign Wealth Fund and ensure sustainable management of funds in excess of budgeted hydrocarbon revenues, list the National Assembly Service Commission and State Assembly Commissions in the relevant schedule of the Constitution and review FCT laws with a view to carrying out reforms or amendments where necessary.