“I want to appeal to the senators elected to please start work early and complete work on the electoral legal framework in good time well ahead of the 2013 general election. There is a lot of work ahead but very limited time available.”
With this call on Thursday, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu presented certificates of return to the senators-elect who emerged in the February 23 elections.
Making the passionate appeal at a ceremony for the Issuance of Certificate of Return to Senators-elect at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. he said that late conclusion of the review of the electoral law would affect the commission’s implementation of the framework.
As a matter of urgency, he said that the commission would begin work on post 2019 elections review and road map to 2023.
His words: “There is a lot of work but very little time available. As a process governed by law, the success of election in Nigeria depends to a large extent on the electoral legal framework and most importantly, in ensuring adherence to the law.
“I want to assure you that we will continue to work with the National Assembly to review and strengthen our Electoral Law.
“But I want to appeal to the Senators-elect to please start work early and conclude work on the electoral framework in good time well ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“The tendency to delay electoral reform, particularly the review of the electoral framework, until it is too close to the elections, leaves the commission with little time to develop processes including regulations and guidelines, make required consultation with stakeholders, embark on effective voter education including sensitisation, train staff and organise deployment for the elections.
“I am glad that among the senators-elect are senators that we have worked very closely with and some of them have taken initiative or even sponsoring private member bills to advance the cause of electoral reform,” he said.
Yakubu said that the commission looked forward to working very closely with the senators-elect in deepening the country’s electoral process; as he congratulated them for their election victory to serve the nation.
INEC had earlier said only those whose names appeared on its website as winners of the election would be presented with certificates.
