Forum tasks NASS on Electoral Act amendment

Forum of chairmen of Nigeria Political Parties (FCNPP), Kogi chapter, has called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the amendment of the Electoral Act to curtail violence in elections across the country.

Mr Frank Kato, the convener of the Forum, flanked by 17 other members of the forum, disclosed this at a news conference on Friday in Lokoja.

Kato said there was an urgent need to conclude the Electoral Act amendment process and activation of transmission of electoral data and electronic voting method in the nation’s electoral process.

Describing the Nov. 16 elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states as “war”, the forum said only transmission of election results and data directly from polling units and introduction of electronic voting method would assuage the problem.

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Kato said that the forum commended the 60 national chairmen of political parties who described elections in the two states as “war”.

Kato also commended INEC’s resolve to conduct the Kogi West Senatorial election re-run and Ajaokuta Federal Constituency supplementary elections slated for Saturday in a free, fair and credible manner.

He said: “without further lamentation on the abominable episode of Nov. 16 elections, we wish to appreciate the new INEC way forward via the stakeholders panacea for the November 30th, bye-election”.

He said that the re-run and supplementary elections presented the final opportunity for the Inspector-General of Police and security agencies to give Kogi indigenes the peaceful obligations they owed the electorate.

(NAN)