Reps to address grey areas in Electoral Act

House Leader, Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano), says the 9th House of Representatives will revisit the 2010 Electoral Act in order to address noticeable “grey areas” which affected the outcome of the 2019 general elections.

Doguwa disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday when he received a delegation of the House of Representatives Press Corps who paid him a courtesy visit.

He expressed confidence that lawmakers in the 9th House of Representatives were capable of achieving that goal, especially going by their track records and experience.

The ranked lawmaker and First Class graduate of Mass Communication, however, charged the visiting journalists to use their reportage to change series of long-held “negative perceptions, mischief, abuse and blackmail” of the institution of National Assembly in the minds of average Nigerians.

According to him, such reportage would not only keep the public accurately informed of daily happenings in the right perspective, but also create awareness of the constitutional duties of that arm of government.

“There are many issues, what I may call grey areas that need to be addressed in the Electoral Act‎. In some cases, you see about three persons being issued certificates of return for one position.

“I believe the 9th House is equal to that task, given the caliber and capacity of the lawmakers, as well as the leadership acumen of the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.

“I want to say with all sense of responsibility that the press has a big role to play to correct the negative perception of the National Assembly.

“Without fear of contradiction, that duty is sacrosanct, and since the press is an inseparable arm of government, it is patriotic of you to undertake that role,” the House Leader charged.

Earlier in her response, Chairman of the House of Reps Press Corps, Grace Ike, told the House Leader that the reporters came to congratulate him for emerging as Majority Leader of the 9th House of Representatives.

While pledging to ensure objective reportage of the activities of National Assembly, the ‎Silver Bird TV reporter decried the increasing menace of quack journalists whose antics are giving bad name to the profession.

She asked Doguwa to use his good office to push for reforms that would empower parliamentary reporters, especially in the critical areas of exposure and capacity building.