Nigeria’s National Assembly has been commended by a rights group, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) for proactively amending the Electoral Act 2022.
It said National Assembly took a bold step by advancing the “Bill to Amend the Electoral Act No. 13 of 2022 to Provide for Early Voting at Elections,” including provisions on eligibility, procedures, and related matters.
The group, however, said more should be done through stakeholders’ consultation.
EUYI appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expedite actions to ensure that the amended electoral law is operational as soon as possible for the benefit of affected Nigerians and the country’s democratic process.
The group’s convener and co-convene, Comrades Danesi Momoh and Igwe Ude-umanta, respectively, described it as a big win for democracy.
“With this development and in the spirit of fairness, we urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take immediate and concrete actions to operationalize inclusive voting mechanisms by enabling the early and remote voting for process military and paramilitary personnel, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, and prison inmates,” he said.
Momoh added that “INEC should, as a matter of urgency, develop a secure registration system, assigning unique codes to military personnel, paramilitary force, NYSC members, and prison inmates, allowing them to vote from any location, regardless of transfers or deployments as well as functional voting centres for them.”
The group has been at the forefront of the campaign for the advancement of democracy in Nigeria, especially the inclusion of citizens in the electoral system.
To achieve the goals, EUYI consistently engages the federal government through the National Assembly for reforms which will usher in an inclusive electoral system.
