Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said that President Bola Tinubu is committed to ensuring that the 2027 general elections are more transparent and credible than the 2023 polls.
Abbas stated this on Thursday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the European Union (EU). He said the National Assembly is already working to amend the Electoral Act 2022 based on observations from the last general elections.
“I want to acknowledge that the leadership of the country under President Bola Tinubu is very committed to improving our electoral processes, particularly in response to observations made by international observers in the 2023 election,” Abbas said.
He explained that both chambers of the National Assembly met last week to harmonise their positions on proposed amendments and agreed to fast-track electoral reforms as a single priority bill.
“We will isolate the electoral issues, take them forward as a single entity, and pass them before the end of the year. Then, we will transmit them to state houses of assembly for concurrence,” he said.
Abbas said some of the proposed constitutional amendments include the introduction of reserved legislative seats for women and persons with disabilities (PWDs), financial autonomy for traditional rulers, and conducting all national and sub-national elections on a single day.
READ ALSO: Abbas calls for decisive intervention as North-West faces economic crisis
According to him, the proposed single-day election aims to increase voter turnout and streamline the electoral process.
The Speaker urged the EU to support advocacy efforts to ensure state assemblies back the amendments and to help raise public awareness.
“We will do all the needful legislatively to empower INEC with the tools and legal framework it needs to conduct a better election in 2027,” Abbas added.
The EU delegation was led by Barry Andrews, a member of the European Parliament. He commended the National Assembly’s efforts to improve Nigeria’s democracy. Other members of the delegation included EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, and several election experts.
The 2023 general elections, though Nigeria’s seventh since the return to democracy in 1999, were widely criticised by domestic and international observers for logistical failures, technical glitches, and issues with result transmission.
