President Ahmad Lawan has warned Nigerians against attacking presiding officers of the National Assembly because of what they feel about the Electoral Act Amendment Bill that is currently before it.
He said this on Monday at the inauguration of the reconstituted Public Complaints Commission by the National Assembly.
The National Assembly Committees on INEC is sitting on the draft of the bill to make necessary inputs as it is expected to be passed next week.
Lawan said this as presiding officers of the National Assembly are being criticized over reports that the panel, against the popular demands of stakeholders during the public hearings, had introduced a section prohibiting electronic transmission of election results.
He, therefore, noted that the presiding officers were not responsible for the amendments being proposed in the Electoral Act.
Lawan urged the critics to direct their grievances to their representatives in the National Assembly.
He said: “The National Assembly is embarking on the amendment of the Electoral Act. Probably by next week or within the next two weeks.
“It’s very important that those who feel very strongly about any amendment that they think should be effected in the electoral act should contact or talk to their members of House of Representatives as well as Distinguished Senators.
“I want to state categorically clear here that presiding officers are not the ones to determine what is coming or what is not.”
Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, urged the commission to use its power to ensure fairness and equity in public administration in Nigeria.
“You must bring to play all the necessary ingredients needed in public administration for workers protection, for the benefits of Nigerians and residents of Nigeria irrespective of ethnicity or religious inclinations.
“In the course of your duties, you must portray the PCC as a veritable instrument for sanitising public administration in the country,” he added.
