Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has blamed the dwindling fortunes of Nigeria\u2019s democratic experiment on inability to conduct a free and fair elections over the years.<\/p>\n
Ugwuanyi made the statement in Enugu on Monday when the Constitutional and Electoral Reform Committee led by Sen. Ken Nnamani paid him a courtesy call.<\/p>\n
He said that it had become imperative to put in place a robust electoral act that would engender peace and stability in the polity.<\/p>\n
According to him, the need for the ongoing reform could be overemphasised.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a well known fact that our inability to conduct free and fair elections had impacted negatively on our efforts to deepen democracy over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cNecessary reforms must, therefore, be carried out to resolve all the issues required to be carried out to promote peace and stability in the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ugwuanyi commended the committee for giving the South-East zone the opportunity to send their views on how to entrench credible, acceptable, violence and rancor free election in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Sen Nnamani said that the exercise was aimed at making elections more efficient, effective and less expensive.<\/p>\n
He said that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Oct. 4, 2016 inaugurated the committee in keeping to his promise of strengthening electoral system in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people are asking why another electoral reform panel is being set up when that of Justice Uwais has not been implemented.<\/p>\n
\u201cThough Uwais did a fantastic job but some areas of that report require panel beating and dynamic approach to capture some incidents in the system.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor instance, that report did not take into consideration what happened in Kogi State not too long ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nnamani said that it had become needful to tinker some obsolete electoral laws, adding that the committee had been working in clusters and behind the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no constitutional requirement for public hearing but it has become conventional that no group has monopoly of knowledge.<\/p>\n
That is why we have come to seek the ideas of the public,\u201d he said.
\nNnamani said that the South-East zonal public hearing in Enugu was the first of seven of such that would hold across the country.<\/p>\n
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