The Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to walk the talk on his riot act to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force.
Recall that Buhari had met with INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu charging them to engender a free, fair and credible electoral process without fear or favour.
Them observer group in a statement by the CTA Executive Director, Faith Nwadishi on Friday, challenged President Buhari as well to match his charge with action and show truly, that his talk would be a reality by implementing his directive during the upcoming offseason elections and especially, the governorship election in Edo state this year.
The group said that if the order of the President must be achieved, INEC must be allowed to be truly independent. He said this could be done that Operational budget of th electoral body is treated as priority by both the Executive and the National Assembly to enable the Commission to prepare for elections and discharge its mandate with less constraint.
As a matter of urgency, the CTA also called on President Buhari to reintroduce the Electoral Act amendment bill as an Executive Bill to the National Assembly for urgent passage into law to effect positive changes that would improve the electoral process.
”President Buhari as a statesman should sign the Act into law as soon as passed by the National Assembly timeously. This is key to electoral reforms and achieving credible elections in Nigeria,” the group added.
CTA also pointed that it is now time in that the nation’s political atmosphere for President Buhari to have a second look at the Justice Uwais electoral reform Committee report and implement it without further ado against the backdrop that majority of Nigerians what is implemented as it would help improve the electoral process immensely.
