Bukola Saraki has reacted after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has broken his silence after President Muhammadu Buhari today signed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
Saraki said the new electoral law provides an opportunity for Nigerians to choose leaders who can proffer solutions to the challenges in the country.
Saraki said: “I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for finally signing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.
“I also commend the National Assembly and all Nigerians that insisted that we deserve a new law that will guarantee fairer elections in 2023 and beyond.
“I must also specifically applaud members of the civil society for their continuous agitation for the passage and signing of the new Electoral Act.”
Saraki urged Young Nigerians to mobilize their friends across the nation to register and get their Permanent Voter Cards to vote in the 2023 general election.
“Young Nigerians of today are reminding us of the role their forebears played in the Nationalist struggle of the pre-independence era — particularly, the National Youth Movement (NYM), played in bringing an end to colonial rule,” he said.
“I enjoin the young people in these CSOs to take their efforts to another level by mobilising their friends and counterparts across the nation to go and register to vote in the coming general elections.”
Saraki stated that the old electoral law has been part of Nigeria’s problem and with this new law signed by President Buhari, Nigerians can move on to debating real solutions to problems facing the nation.
According to him, “the new law provides an opportunity for all Nigerians to be part of the efforts to build a better future for our country. They have the chance to have their voices heard. If we want a fresh start, if we want a new direction for Nigeria, we all have to vote for it.
“This new Electoral Act will bring us closer to having free, fair, and peaceful elections where people’s votes will count and where the majority will have their way and the minority will have their say.
“For too long, the old electoral law had been part of the problem. We can now seek to elect our leaders having in mind the current challenges facing our country
“With a new Electoral Act, we can move on to debating real solutions to the problems of insecurity, job creation, strengthening of the economy, cementing national unity, and building a better future for all Nigerians.
“That is why it’s with great joy that I welcome the news that Nigeria finally has a new Electoral Act. It’s better late than never!”