The leadership of Unified Nigerian Youth Forum (UNYF), has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, saying that it is a milestone in the history of the country’s democracy.
Its President, Comrade Abdulsalam Moh’d Kazeem, in a statement made available to DAILY POST, said, “the decision of Mr President to sign the electoral bill into law came very late, but it is still far better than when he declined.”
The Forum noted that the act was commendable and that it believes and hopes that history would be fair to Mr President on that singular act, adding that the said bill will bring a lot of significant visible changes in the country’s entire electoral space.
It said all the clauses introduced in the bill were aimed at strengthening the country’s democracy at all levels and to equally bring to a complete and logical end all forms of party manipulations that undermined the institution saddled with the responsibility of conducting election in Nigeria.
It opined that the credibility of the country’s polls would bring about positive impact on Nigerians among the committee of nation.
The group, however, said that the appeal by President Buhari to the leadership of the 9th National Assembly to immediately amend the Act and expunge section 84 that stipulated that anyone holding any political office either as a minister, commissioner, Special Adviser and others, must relinquish the position before they can be eligible to participate either as a delegate or candidate, should be outrightly ignored since the request is not in the interest of the nation’s democracy.
They stated that President Buhari must at the same point prove to Nigerians that national interest supersedes individual and personal demands by not delaying the request to release funds, which may, in turn, slow down preparations for the 2023 general elections
