By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Leadership and Entrepreneurship Advocacy (LEAD) Network Africa, an NGO, has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

It would be recalled that President Buhari, at about 12:00 p.m. on February 25, signed the long-awaited Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

The Executive Director of LEAD Network, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, told newsmen on Sunday in Enugu that the development was “a step into the greater future of the nation’s democratic growth”.

According to Okenwa, most citizens are happy that during Buhari’s administration the much-sorted Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the Electoral Act Amendment Bill were signed into laws.

These laws, he said, would definitely put the country on the right footing for economic and political development.

He said: “I wish to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

“This is one of the highly sought out development that Nigerians have looked out for over some years now.

“President Buhari has given Nigerians a modern electoral law that will take care of many inconsistency and lacuna in the previous electoral law especially as the nation goes into the 2023 crucial elections.

“The new electoral law is based on findings and recommendations of previous elections and to ensure that mistakes and ambiguities of previous elections are avoided.

“The new law will make the electoral process more transparent and check manipulation of the electoral system for selfish gains.

“The new law out rightly stopped political appointees from contesting any election except if they resign at the appropriate time required by the electoral law as well as approved the use of electronic transmission of election results henceforth.”

The LEAD Network boss congratulated Nigerians for the latest positive development.

“This is a positive development for all Nigerians, which is meant to strength the credibility and transparency of our electoral system.”