Urges special court for electoral offencesThe Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed the amendment of the Electoral Legal Framework to deepen the deployment of technology and reduce the cost of elections in the country. It noted that experiences from recent elections revealed certain shortcomings in the electoral legal framework that need to be addressed through new legislation. The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, noted that a review of the Electoral Act and Electoral Legal Framework must be anchored on curbing the incidence of violence and sundry malpractices among other factors. “Therefore, we must at this meeting cast our nets wide by dissecting the Electoral Act in the light of experience and proposing wide-ranging amendments that will give the nation an electoral legal framework that can truly protect their choice and guarantee free, fair and credible elections. “Listening to Nigerians, it is clear that a review of Electoral Act in particular and our electoral legal framework in general, must be anchored on a number of factors which include, entrenching internal democracy within political parties, ensuring inclusivity in the electoral process for marginalized segments of society such as women, youths and persons living with disability and ensuring violators of electoral laws are effectively sanctioned.”

Source: The Guardian March 03, 2020 04:30 UTC