We’ ll revisit Uwais Report on Electoral Reform –Reps

Posted by admin House, Legislature Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Hopes that the report of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Committee would be revisited were kindled yesterday in the House of Representatives. Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon Jerry Manwe said at a parley with a group of civil societies that the Committee was working on measures to promote transparency and credibility of the electoral process.

Among the recommendations of the Uwais panel that would be revisited were the recommendations for an Independent Candidature for the 2015 elections as well as the appointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The committee had recommended that the appointment of the INEC Chairman should be made by the National Judicial Council (NJC) had.
He told the coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) that the two issues were among the measures the National Assembly would reconsider in its commitment to strengthening the electoral process.

“The committee will soon come up with an action plan on how we can perfect the electoral process. The issue of reconsidering Independent Candidature and Appointment of INEC Chairman would be taken up by my committee at an expanded meeting with Civil Society Organisations and other stakeholders.
“We at the National Assembly are very committed to strengthening the electoral process and giving it the credibility it deserved.”
Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Moshood Erubami, who led the CSO had asked the committee to amend relevant sections of the constitution to advancing the course of credible elections in the country.
Particularly, he urged the National Assembly to review the Electoral Act, so as to legalise Independent Candidature empowering the NJC to appoint the INEC boss.
The need to unbundle INEC was equally stressed by the CSO to make it more focussed and effective, while asking for the introduction of electronic voting to remove rigging.

Erubami said that towards the build- up to the April 2011 elections, the Justice Uwais panel made a number of recommendations to government some of which were reflected in the last electoral and constitutional reforms.

-Sunwp_posts