Electoral Amendment: UK ready to walk this journey with Nigeria — Rowe

By Henry Umoru, Abuja

The United Kingdom has expressed readiness to spouse with Nigeria successful strengthening its antiauthoritarian processes done the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022.

Speaking connected Monday successful Abuja astatine a nationalist proceeding organised by the Joint National Assembly Committee connected Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), the Head of Development Cooperation, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Cynthia Rowe, commended Nigeria’s committedness to improving its electoral framework.

The hearing, titled “A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Electoral Act No. 13, 2022 and Enact the Electoral Act 2025”, brought unneurotic lawmakers, INEC officials, civilian nine groups, and planetary partners to deliberate connected cardinal reforms up of the 2027 elections.

Rowe said the UK was delighted to enactment Nigeria’s homegrown efforts to deepen ideology and heighten the credibility of its elections.

“As your partner, the UK stands acceptable to locomotion this travel with Nigeria,” she said. “We are truly delighted to beryllium supporting this important Nigerian-led effort to fortify institutions and the ongoing law reappraisal process.

“As Nigerians accidental — and we’ve adopted this arsenic 1 of our mottos — if you privation to spell fast, spell alone. But if you privation to spell far, spell together. This process is simply a objection of collaboration among the legislature, INEC, governmental parties, civilian society, the media, and citizens — each walking successful the aforesaid direction.”

Rowe commended the National Assembly for its proactive efforts to marque the electoral model much transparent, inclusive, and credible.

“Public hearings springiness dependable to citizens. They guarantee that reforms are designed not conscionable for the people, but with the people,” she noted. “This proceeding goes beyond a legislative formality; it is simply a objection of spot successful the people’s quality to signifier the rules that govern them.”

She added that Nigeria’s ideology has shown resilience implicit the years, adapting and increasing done each electoral rhythm and betterment effort.

“The 2023 wide elections were a cardinal infinitesimal successful Nigeria’s antiauthoritarian history. They revealed some the strengths and the lessons wrong the system. The committedness of the National Assembly to physique connected these lessons offers an accidental to deepen civic engagement and present innovations.”

Rowe identified respective captious areas for reform, including run concern regulation, electoral offenses, aboriginal voting, diaspora participation, and quality solution mechanisms.

“Enduring, credible, and transparent elections indispensable see each parts of society,” she emphasized. “Your relation arsenic lawmakers cannot beryllium overstated. You person the unsocial work to signifier a ineligible model that volition basal the trial of time.”

She besides commended the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) for its relation successful supporting antiauthoritarian reforms and civic engagement successful Nigeria.

“We, arsenic your partners, commend your bipartisan and collaborative approach,” Rowe concluded. “The contributions of each stakeholders present contiguous are invaluable, and we look guardant to the palmy completion of this process successful bully clip for the adjacent wide elections.”

The station Electoral Amendment: UK acceptable to locomotion this travel with Nigeria — Rowe appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.