The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says he will approach the National Assembly for reforms of the Electoral Law.
He said this on Tuesday at a meeting with civil society organisations in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital to discuss issues emanating from recent elections.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s resolve was informed by recent court judgments on petitions from the 2015 general elections which in some cases, resulted in upturning earlier results declared by the electoral umpire.
He lamented that the 2015 election had the highest record of post elections court cases in the history of the commission.
Professor Yakubu promised that the commission would consult with the National Assembly (NASS) on the challenges experienced in recent elections and the need for amendment to the subsidiary laws.
“The Electoral Law has been undergoing reform and review over time and once there are challenges, we will go back to the National Assembly and seek for relevant amendments so that the electoral process can be strengthened,” the INEC boss said.
He also gave the assurance that the commission would think of ways to improve on the card reader technology rather than drop it in future elections.
In their separate remarks, some members of the civil society organisations, Clement Nwankwo and Festus Okoye, referred to the post elections petitions and the judgements by both the Appeal and Supreme courts in some cases.
According to them, recent court judgements revealed the need for Electoral Law reforms to reflect recent technologies such as the card reader machines introduced by INEC.
