There’s still much to be done in nation’s electoral reforms – Reps

The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has stated that “there is still much to be done as efforts are on to reform Nigeria’s electoral system,” citing gaps and inconsistencies revealed during the 2023 general elections.

The Chairman of the Committee, Adebayo Balogun, said this Friday during a consultative meeting with election petition lawyers, organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in partnership with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), with supported from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Abuja.

Balogun underscored the importance of collaboration between lawmakers, legal practitioners, and other stakeholders in ensuring a more transparent and effective electoral process.

He noted that while the Electoral Act 2022 introduced critical reforms such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) Portal, early funding for INEC, and stricter electoral timelines, “the 2023 elections exposed significant loopholes that require urgent legislative attention.”

He said “In the continuous search for a globally acceptable Electoral Act that will stem electoral malpractices and improve confidence in the electoral process, they must engage with all critical stakeholders involved with electoral Matters, before, during and after elections.”

He said the process of amending the electoral law must be inclusive, engaging all key stakeholders before, during, and after elections, stressing the crucial role of election litigation lawyers in interpreting and testing the laws.