By Chimezie Godfrey
Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the electoral amendment act, saying that it will help ensure that Nigeria’s elections are freer, fairer, and more transparent.
In a video released on his social media handles, Saraki, whose 8th Senate passed amendments to the electoral act four times between 2015 and 2019, emphasized that President Buhari has said that he wants to be the President that leaves behind stronger democratic institutions, therefore, by signing the electoral act, the President can “leave behind a stronger democracy than his predecessors.”
Saraki said:“Nigeria, as a leader on the African continent, must always ensure that the voice of all Nigerians — especially our young people — will be truly heard in Government. This can only happen when our electoral laws are seen to have integrity.
“We all want to build a nation with strong democratic values that instill confidence in investors. This all begins with having a sound electoral act.
“The amended electoral act on the President’s desk has about 25 amendments. Out of this, it is only 4 subsections on direct primaries that are contentious.
“Anyways, not all laws are perfect. Nigeria’s democracy stands to gain so much more from the other amendments, than what it will lose from the 4 contentious subsections.
“As Mr. President has said at several fora, he hopes to leave behind a stronger democracy than his predecessors. This is why, like millions of Nigerians and our friends in the international community, I strongly believe that this law will give our nation a framework that ensures that we have a fairer and more transparent electoral system,” the former Senate President said.
