Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has urged members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters, to propose amendments that will strengthen the nation’s democracy and unite the country.
Gov. Makinde, made the call while playing host to the federal legislators at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan.
The committee was in Oyo State to consult with stakeholders on proposed constitution amendments
Makinde lauded the committee for taking time out to seek the views of young people and women, adding that youths must be encouraged to play pivotal roles in shaping the country’s future.
Makinde encouraged them to be open-minded about their task, adding that Nigerians must be made to have confidence in the nation’s democracy and participate in it.
“I have seen people who were given the opportunity to change the trajectory of the nation but because of selfishness and personal interest they missed the road.
“Who knows who is going to be here tomorrow? Whatever you do, do it in the wider interest of the country; the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct. A united Nigeria is the route to go.
“Why do people go to court after an election? It is because they feel cheated. If you open up the space and you have transparency, nobody will go to court.”
“Now that our democracy seems to be holding, because since independence this is our longest democratic experience, it is our responsibility as leaders to deepen the democracy,” Makinde said
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Electoral Matters and leader of the delegation, Sen. Sharafadeen Alli, said the Joint Committee would tour the six zones of the country to ensure that the views of Nigerians are captured in the amendments.
“The best way to get people involved is to do enough consultation and people would be confident in the law if they are involved in the composition
“We have identified youths, women and other vulnerable members of the society and also difficult terrains, because they are things that affect our elections, and we are going to all the six zones in Nigeria.
“The best so far that we have is the 2022 electoral act, but the reality is that as soon as we put it into use, we realised that there are so many gaps.
“We believe that it is better for election disputes to be concluded before the inauguration, we also think, all pre-election matters should be concluded before the election
“This might look difficult, but with the cooperation of everybody it would not be difficult,” Alli stated
Earlier, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Rep. Adebayo Balogun, lauded the governor for being a supporter of youths.
He added that with the cooperation of all the governors, the Joint Committee will succeed in the task given to them.
“To remove all the ambiguities that we have in our laws that actual make people go to court on frivolous cases, and to also expand the court so that we will be able to take all these cases within the speculated time.
“And we believe with the support of all the governors we should be able to achieve this,” Balogun emphasised.
The event had in attendance the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin; the Secretary to Oyo State Government, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo, the Head of Service, Mrs Olubunmi Oni; the Deputy Chief of Staff to Oyo State Governor, Honourable Fola Oyekunle, commissioners and other top government officials.