The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly and all electoral stakeholders in the country have been urged to use the Democracy Day celebration to recommit to electoral reform in Nigeria.
This call was made in a statement by the co-conveners of Centre for Liberty (CFL), Ariyo-Dare Atoye and Adebayo Raphael which was made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
President Muhammadu Buhari officially declared June 12 as Democracy Day, and gave his first official broadcast to commemorate the day on June 12, 2019.
Until this declaration, May 29 has been celebrated both as Inauguration and Democracy Day in Nigeria, marking when the fourth republic was ushered in on May 29, 1999.
June 12 election is recognised as a special day that Nigeria recorded the freest, fairest and most credible election ever, and a period in which Nigerians put aside their differences and ethno-religious fault-lines to elect a popular President.
From 1999 to 2018, June 12 was marked as Abiola’s Day/Democracy Day, and celebrated every year in the South Western states of Nigeria.
But the Centre is saying stakeholders must come to the realization that without an enduring electoral reform that can guarantee an equal or better elections as the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election, marking the day will amount to an exercise in futility.
“It is also our appeal to the President to use the occasion of June 12, 2020, to recommit to an enduring electoral reform by tasking the National Assembly on the timely passage of the new Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill, 2019, currently before the Senate, and to equally pledge his immediate assent to the act, once it is transmitted.
“As a matter of commitment, this is the time for the 9th National Assembly to learn from the painful impasse that occurred between the Executive and the 8th Legislative Session over a similar proposed legislation, and ensure that this bill is passed this year 2020,” it said.
The body also urged the 9th Senate and House of Representatives to factor into its legislative deliberations an amended Electoral Act that will address the political consequences and socio-economic impact of sub-standard elections.
“Since Electoral Act Amendment Bill has become a most sought after legislation in the country by Nigerians, it has therefore become very pertinent for political parties, election observer groups, international monitors, civil societies, the media and every concerned stakeholder to relaunch a fervent demand for electoral reforms and demand the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill,” the statement added.
CFL also said it is committed to a comprehensive reform of the legal frameworks underpinning elections in Nigeria, saying the occasion of June 12, 2020 represents a significant opportunity for galvanizing the public towards electoral reforms that will address the current deficit in the electoral process.
“After 20 years of uninterrupted democratic dispensation in Nigeria, it is incumbent on every Nigerian to ensure we conduct elections that meet global standards and can be likened to the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election,” it said.
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