Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA Africa), has charged the National Assembly to expedite action on the consideration and passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill and the constitution review.
The group equally called for immediate legislative actions that will address the security challenges bedevilling Nigeria and revamp the economy, while charging the lawmaker to urgently conclude the process of amending the 1999 constitution.
This was contained in a press statement, a copy which was sent to BusinessDay, Wednesday, signed by the director of programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu.
The election observer group further welcomed the lawmakers back from its annual recess and commended their efforts at ensuring stability and wellbeing of Nigerians.
It added that there is still so much to be done, as prevailing realities consistently threaten the nation’s collective peace, security, development and national unity.
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The group, however, pointed out that unless urgent steps are taken, Nigeria risks losing meaningful progress in its quest for national unity and democratic consolidation where a new electoral framework is not concluded and tested before the general elections in 2023.
According to the statement, “As the National Assembly resumes, we note that a lot of work is still required in reforming our electoral process and amending the nation’s constitution.
“While we appreciate the gains thus far in reforming the nation’s electoral process…we implore the National Assembly to, as a matter of priority, conclude the process of harmonising this bill and transmit the same to the president for assent.
“We also implore that the harmonisation of this bill reflects only collective resolutions that are geared towards improving the conduct of elections in Nigeria, particularly as it relates to election administration, technology deployment for elections, inclusion and campaign finance regulations,” part of the statement read.
“We particularly call on the National Assembly to consider the key issues in this constitution review process which include the: federal structure of governance/power devolution, increased women representation and vulnerable group participation in government, as well as local government administration/autonomy and electoral reforms.
“We, therefore, urge that this constitution review process also features as a top priority for the National Assembly and truly reflects the wishes and desires of Nigerians.
