Buhari Must Sign Electoral Reform Bill Before 2023 Election–PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law, the electoral reform act ahead of the 2023 general elections.

PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, said electoral reforms would restore confidence of the electorate in the process.

Recall that few weeks ago, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, had expressed concern over delay in the amendment of the Electoral Act, adding that barely a year and nine months to the next general election, the National Assembly was yet to pass the Electoral Act amendment bill,

He had said that the commission was ” anxious to know the legal framework to govern the conduct of the 2023 general elections.”

Speaking in Abuja at an interactive session with journalists, Secondus said that electoral reform is the key to transparent, free and fair election.

“If the National Assembly will as quickly as possible table that reform of the electoral laws and pass it and President signs it into law, even the international community and our international partners will have more confidence in our electoral system and that can checkmate malpractices and everything associated to our elections especially transmission of results.

“It should be done electronically so that you can cut off the gathering from the wards to the Local Government Areas, to the state and to the center, which is Abuja here.

“This was used for Ondo election and it was beautiful. So, we are saying as a party that electoral reform must be passed by the National Assembly and Mr. President must sign moving forward to 2023. That is the only way to restore confidence, election must be free and affair.

“We believe in one man one vote and all the votes should count and as a party, we are ready, we are law abiding and we are to conduct ourselves by the rules. We believe that Nigerians will come out en-mass to vote for PDP because they have seen the difference. The difference is very clear,” he said.

The PDP National Chairman also charged Journalists to brace up for the challenges in the country as democracy is being seriously undermined by insecurity and apparent incapacity of the ruling party.

He noted that from inception, the PDP in and out of power has always maintained a robust relationship with the press because of their strategic importance in deepening of democracy.

Prince Secondus charged journalists to continue to be factual in their reports since truth as the bedrock of the press remains sacrosanct and unchanging.