Why Buhari must sign amended electoral bill ― Jega

As the nation waits on President Muhammadu Buhari to append his signature on the amended electoral bill, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Atahiru Jega, has also urged the president not to delay any further; since signing such bill into law would go a long way in enhancing the confidence of Nigerians in the nation’s electoral process.

Jega stated this in an exclusive interview with Tribune Online in Lagos, on Wednesday, after delivering a Keynote Address at the 117th anniversary of the Rotary Club, in Lagos.

He stated that though there were noticeable gaps in the bill, such should not prevent the president from signing the bill; since they could be addressed, after the bill must have been signed into law.

The former INEC boss attributed the increasing apathy the nation’s electoral process had continued to attract, in the past few years, to the obvious flaws in the existing electoral law, which had not given many Nigerians the confidence to participate in the process.

“I think there is the need for the President to append his signature to the bill without wasting more time. I believe doing that would enhance the confidence of many Nigerians, especially those that normally refuse to participate on the elections day, in the process.

“Though there are some noticeable gaps in the bill, one thing that is clear is that those gaps can always be fixed, even after the bill must have been signed into law,” he added.

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Jega, therefore, charged Rotary Club of Lagos on the need to continually come up with initiatives that would promote peace and unity among Nigerians, especially as 2023 general elections draw nearer.

In his Keynote Address at the event, the former INEC boss stated that though there are glaring evidence that the country is inching towards being a failed state, the situation could still be redeemed.

According to him, one of the ways the country’s lost glory could be restored is by promoting peace and unity and giving every Nigerian a sense of belonging.

He added that the nation had found itself in the present quagmire because, rather than preaching peace and unity, the nation’s leaders had continued to use religion and ethnicity to further worsen the country’s heterogeneity.

In his welcome address, the president of Rotary Club of Lagos, organizers of the event, Rotarian Wale Agbeyangi stated that the decision to organize the symposium was in tune with the essence of setting up the famous international club.

According to him, the symposium designed to mark the 117th anniversary of the club, and the World Peace And Understanding Day, aimed to explore the crucial issue of peace, which is fast becoming elusive in Nigeria today.