THE Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the 2022 Electoral Bill into law.
The group said proposals in the Electoral Bill 2021 would improve Nigeria’s elections and political party’s candidate selection process.
Director of CDD Idayat Hassan said in a statement in Abuja on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari should sign the Electoral Bill 2021.
“With the successful integration of technology into the electoral process, a legal backing for electronic voting and transmission of election results will further President Buhari’s commitment to improving Nigeria’s election.”
Hassan said that this was necessary to represent the most significant legacy of Buhari’s presidency.
“This will surely be President Buhari’s legacy for Nigerian people.”
CDD said it believed that the next critical step left was to assent to the Electoral Bill 2021.
“This is particularly as we head to two off-cycle elections in Ekiti and Osun states in 2022 and the 2023 general election.
“Interestingly, the legislative document represents another beautiful outcome from the collaborative efforts of the Senate and House of Representatives,” she said.
Hassan further said that the direct primary method for candidate selection proposed in the bill would improve internal party democracy by maintaining party membership.
According to her, every registered party member would directly determine their candidate with the direct primary election.
The CDD said the process would reduce the floodgates of litigation that usually trailed the idea of consensus or imposition of candidates by political godfathers and party owners.
She said that the bill, when signed into law, would return the electoral power to the original custodians, the people.
A reporter with the ICIR
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