- By Kamil Opeyemi
A system of serious prosecution and punishment of electoral offenders would serve as a deterrent to others in the future and help build confidence in elections.
This was the submission by the Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila while addressing members of the House at Tuesday’s plenary in Abuja.
Each generations, he said, must build on the efforts of the past until a just, peaceful, and prosperous society is achieved.
He said the current generation fell short in the commitment to ensuring political empowerment and representation for women and other marginalised groups in the country.
Gbajabiamila said the amendments to the Electoral Act by the ninth National Assembly had been particularly instrumental in improving the elections process through the use of technology tools to facilitate voter accreditation and transmission of results.
He said that with each new election season, stakeholders became more aware of areas requiring changes to ensure a better outing next time.
“This process of ongoing reform and continuous improvement must continue,” he said
“As a necessary first step, INEC should collaborate with stakeholders to conduct a meticulous assessment of the election process.
“This is necessary to inform further reforms and improvements
“The Electoral Offences Act is one area where we must take action before the culmination of the 9th house of representatives.
“The Act is necessary to ensure effective enforcement against individuals and organisations whose violations of our electoral laws undermine our constitution and threaten our democracy.
“A system of vigorous prosecution and punishment of electoral offenders will serve as a deterrent to others in the future and help build confidence in our elections.”
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
“I wish to thank the Chairman of INEC and all members of staff of the commission for their hard work and commitment to ensuring free and fair elections across the country.
“I wish to also express my gratitude to the men and women of the security agencies who ensured the worst predictions of crises and conflict did not come to pass.
“Any objective assessment of these elections will show marked improvements from prior outings. This is not to suggest perfection but to acknowledge evident progress in our collective efforts to ensure elections we can all be proud of,” he said.