Senator representing Katsina Central Senatorial District, Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua said adopting early voting and establishing a more inclusive, efficient and secure electrical process would serve the interests of all Nigerians.
He stated this while paying advocacy visit to Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier general O.O Nafiu in his office at Abuja.
Highlighting the amendment of the electoral bills which he sponsored, Yar’ adua, said the bills stand to correct the disenfranchised voters in the general election.
Yar’ adua maintained that over a million Nigerians who are ad-hoc staff and essential workers during the election do not have opportunity to vote during the general election and that willreduce our voting strength every election year.
According to Senator Yar’ adua the amendment stated that the early vote minimum of seven days before the general vote is recommended so that all eligible Nigerians can be accommodated.
Key Provisions of the Bill:
Eligibility and Registration: Eligible individuals, including security personnel, electoral officials, and those deemed eligible by the commission, must apply 30 days before the early voting date.
Implementation and Voting Procedure:
A designated early voting date will be set, not more than 7 days before the general election, and voting centers will be established by the Electoral Commission.
The lawmaker enjoined all stakeholders in the election process to join hand to see that this bills scale through third reading and pass into law.
Further more “early voting is a voting pattern that is practice almost all the developed country including some African countries like south Africa, neighboring Ghana and the rest. So Nigeria being the giant of Africa can do the same”.
Reacting to the bills, Mr. Samson Itodo of Yiaga Africa, a civil society stated that “I am not a member of National Assembly but my interest is credible election in Nigeria, so that we can have free and fair election at all times”.
Itodo, further stated that “if election is credible the credit goes to INEC but on the contrary people will be blaming NYSC corps members for compromise which were not allowed to vote due to national assignment on that day.
Itodo therefore commended Senator Yar’ adua for a good research and inclusiveness that will bring credibility into to the electorial process at all times.
In the similar vein, Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General O.O Nafiu adopt the bill as NYSC bill, “over 50 percent of ad-hoc staff during election are the members of the NYSC, “therefore this bill stand to correct deprivation of the members of the corps”.
Brigadier General Nafiu, maintained that election is critical to the national government and therefore every Nigerian who are eligible should be given equal opportunity to participate.
