The National Assembly has tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to abide by the Electoral Act 2022 in the conduct of the March 11 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections. The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, made the call at the close of Thursday's plenary while also suspending plenary to March 14 to enable senators to participate in the elections.
Senator Lawan urged the electoral umpire to consider all issues raised by the public during the just-concluded presidential and National Assembly Elections in order to have a smooth conduct of the forthcoming elections. The President of the Senate expressed his satisfaction with the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections and noted that INEC needs to do more in the areas of logistics and technology.
"I think INEC should consider looking into issues raised by the public. INEC should be strictly guided by the Constitution and the Electoral Act and their guidelines and regulations. Nigerians should support INEC in whatever way they can so that it conducts the governorship and state assembly elections successfully. This is because that is what we all expect and that is what we need as a democracy," he said.
Senator Lawan added that the Senate will be out of session for the next two weeks and will resume its legislative functions on March 14. He thanked all senators for their contributions towards making the Ninth Senate a success.
The call for INEC to abide by the Electoral Act 2022 and conduct the forthcoming governorship and state assembly elections successfully comes amidst concerns raised by various stakeholders regarding the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections. Some of the concerns include late arrival of materials, malfunctioning card readers, vote buying, and violence in some polling units.
It is expected that INEC will take note of these concerns and address them appropriately to ensure a smooth and credible conduct of the forthcoming elections. The call by the National Assembly for Nigerians to support INEC in its efforts towards conducting credible elections is also expected to be heeded, as a successful conduct of the elections is crucial to the sustenance of Nigeria's democracy.