By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has described as “wise counsel” the advice by the UK government urging the Nigerian Government to pass into law an electoral act amendment bill to protect its democracy.

National President of MBF, Dr Bitrus Pogu is reaction told Vanguard in a Makurdi that the advice had been one of the important agitations by well-meaning Nigerians.

“That is what we have been fighting for. We have been fighting for a change. You know that the constitution is an entirety. It also has this section on electoral law. And we have been fighting to ensure that we have an electoral law that will ensure that votes count.

“So that our votes will have meaning, not what the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, does cancel elections here and there. That is where they usually steal, change and manipulate results. There should be an electronic transfer of results because we want votes to count.

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“So what the UK government has said is perfect, that is what the Nigerian Government needs to do. And that is one of the reasons why we said unless there is a revisitation on the 1999 constitution we will not participate in any election by 2023, that is if we get there. Because the whole thing is flawed, the whole thing is corrupt, the whole is thing unjust.

“We cannot accept anything happening based on the 1999 constitution as amended because the whole thing is improper, unjust and it allows for a lot of misnomer in election processes and in governance in Nigeria.

“So what the UK government told the Nigerian Government is proper and that is wise counsel as I want to call it. Let them do the needful. Let the electoral law be passed, not for them to continue playing games as they did in 2019 and then the President came and gave some frivolous excuses and refused to sign what was presented.

“He should know that we need a law that will allow electronic voting and transfer so that our votes can count,” Dr Pogu said.

Vanguard News Nigeria