Senate President Ahmad Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday assured that the Ninth National Assembly will prioritise credible and acceptable electoral processes that would meet international best practices and the aspirations of Nigerians.
They gave the assurance when they received the delegation of the European Union Elections Observers Mission (EU EOM) monitors in Nigeria.
They were led by Ambassador Keitec Karlsen and Hannah Roberts, the Deputy Chief Observer.
The Senate president said that the Federal Government accords great importance to electoral process.
Noting that there was no doubt that stakeholders have lessons to learn from every election, Lawan applauded the EU EOM for its report and recommendations on the last elections.
He described the visit as “historic as it is the number one visit to my office after elections of the Presiding officers of the 9th Assembly.”
He said: “What can be more important than meeting with elections observers from the European Union. Our elections are of great importance and we have lessons to learn and we want our elections to be credible and meet with best practices.
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“The National Assembly has always worked hard on Electoral Act to ensure that we improve on the standard. Your recommendations will fire us to a better electoral process.”
Lawan, who blamed “wrong timing” for the aborted Electoral Act Amendment in the Eight Senate, noted: “This time, we will be quick to address all the grey areas and come out with better inputs.”
He requested for the full report of the Mission to enable the National Assembly to carry out an in-depth study of the document.
Seeking collaboration with the EU, the Senate President said: “We need to see an improvement in our electoral system. We solicit for your support to further boost knowledge of our members and committees relevant to this course.
“We in the 9th Assembly will continue to work in a committed and united manner to offer the best to the electorate.
“INEC is one institution that has always been supported by the National Assembly. They also require more support and resources. The resources available are not enough for the enormous tasks. Our desire is that our electoral empire should continue to be independent and improve to perform its statutory functions creditably well.”
Ambassador Karlen congratulated Lawan for his election as the Ninth Chairman of the National Assembly, assuring them that the EU will continue to strengthen its collaboration with Nigeria.
Karlsen, who described Nigeria as EU’s important partner, added that as an old friend and close ally in terms of economy, job creation, migration and other key areas, EU will continue to work with Nigeria.
He noted that as independent observers, EU observers visited hundreds of polling stations during the polls, affirming that the exercise afforded them to see events on self-appraisals.
The EU Mission leader added that 30 recommendations were brought up for electoral reforms and another seven priority recommendations that were comprehensively arrived at.
According to Karlsen the reports were drawn to correct anomalies in elections to forestall reoccurrence.
He called on the National Assembly to engage in an inclusive debate and dialogues in order to arrive at a more promising electoral system.
At the Green Chamber, Gbajabiamila restated to the delegation the present administration’s determination to carry out electoral reforms before the next general elections.
He told the Deputy Chief Observer that the 2019 general elections recorded some successes, pointing out the synergy between Nigerian Government and the EU.
He said: “We appreciate your collaboration and partnership as reeled out in the 30 recommendations and the seven priority areas on how we can legalise the recommendations but it’s also important that we can also localize your suggestions.
“The take-away from your presentation among what you’ve read so far is that there has been improvement; I’m glad you said that above what should be done.”
The Speaker maintained that the present administration will not allow a situation where the rules of the game would be changed by the Electoral Commission, adding that the Federal Government’s invitation to the Mission to monitor the general elections was a sign of transparency.
Roberts urged Nigeria needs to strengthen regulations in the election process, especially in the compilation of election results.
She said: “There is the need for transparency and synergy between Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) particularly concerning timely preparation of requisite security measures prior to the polls.”
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