The Best Gift 9th Assembly Can Give Nigerians Is the Electoral Bill, Says Udom Emmanuel
- Governor Udom Emmanuel says the passage of the Electoral Bill is very important for Nigeria's democracy
- According to the Akwa Ibom state governor, the bill will reform and reposition Nigeria's electoral system
- The governor also said when passed, the move will restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in the 9th National Assembly
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Uyo - Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state has stated that only the passage of the Electoral Bill to reform and reposition Nigeria's electoral system will restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in the 9th National Assembly.
The governor also said the move will demonstrate the National Assembly's sincerity with the constitutional review by first passing the pending Electoral Bill.
He made the comment while hosting members of the special House of Representatives committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution for south-south states, who paid a courtesy visit to his office after the second day of the public hearing for Rivers, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom states in Uyo.
Source: Twitter
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The governor said the Electoral Bill was a yearning of the people that must be prioritized and called on the legislative and executive arms of the federal government to expedite actions to bring the bill alive.
This, he added, will remedy the seeming apathy of Nigerians towards the constitution review process.
He commended the Speaker of the ninth Assembly for the relative harmony in the House of Representatives and the qualitative selection of members to pilot the review process in the south-south, expressing hope that the representations of the people will not be ignored.
A statement sent to Legit.ng by the Akwa Ibom state government quoted the governor as saying:
“If you want us to believe this exercise, give us the Electoral Bill as soon as possible and let the Executive sign it into law, then we will believe that this one will also see the light of day.”
According to him, as important as the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was, the most important and urgent at the moment is the Electoral Bill, while the Constitution Review comes third in the order of priority.
On his part, Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, on Wednesday, May 26 said Nigeria needed a new constitution, and not an amendment to accommodate emerging issues of good governance and greater interest of Nigerians.
Okowa stated this when he received on a courtesy visit, the Senate sub-committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution led by Senator James Manager at Government House, Asaba.
He said that a new constitution for the country had become imperative in view of observed lacunas in the 1999 constitution.
Similarly, Professor Itse Sagay, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has called for the scrapping of Nigeria's constitution, while pushing for the country to adopt the 1963 Republican Constitution.
According to him, the 1963 Republican Constitution addresses everything that is being agitated in the country and can help halt the turmoil that has rocked the nation.
Source: Legit.ng
