The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, says the National Assembly is committed to restoring citizens’ confidence in the electoral process.
He added that the National Assembly and the current administration are ready to work with anyone that is interested in the progress and development of this nation.
He stressed that they are committed to work with anyone not only on issues of electoral reform, but also in formulating legislative initiatives and policies that would revamp the economy.
Akpabio gave the hint on Tuesday in Abuja at the Citizens Town Hall on Electoral Reforms organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Reforms.
Akpabio, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Sylvester Okonkwo, noted that the event was targeted at addressing a crucial matter which the leadership of the National Assembly considered very weighty and must be addressed for the democratic journey of the country to move positively forward.
He added that as representatives of the people, citizen engagement at all levels was crucial to the democratic process, adding that the 10th National Assembly intends to place engagements and inclusiveness as a priority.
Akpabio said: “For the electoral process, we are committed not only to go along with the people on the call for reforms to the electoral legal framework, but at the same time, protect the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission and also restore the trust of our people in the electoral process and we cannot in any way truly achieve this objective in isolation.
“All stakeholders, most of whom are represented here, must be doggedly involved in this. Therefore my appeal to all of you and those that are not here, but are actors in this process is, let us do this together and change the fortunes of our democratic process for the good of our country. For history, we record every move that we make in moving this country forward.”
The Senate President stressed that the committees in the Senate and House of Representatives have approached this process in a way that would be most beneficial, especially in terms of completing this process, within a reasonable timeframe.
He assured that the leadership of the National Assembly would give all the support to the committees in achieving its objectives.