The 25-member Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee (CERC) led by ?former ?Senate President, Dr Ken Nnamani, on Tuesday submitted its report to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Nnamani said the committee’s recommendations would form an executive bill that would be sent to the National Assembly, adding that the Senate and the House of Representatives have bills on the same subject.

He said the three bills would be harmonized at the National Assembly.

The minister, in his remark, said the recommendations would be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari.
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Malami said the report would guide the Federal Government in preparing various proposals for the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution towards improving the electoral system in the country.

He said government aimed to change the unethical way in which electoral officers managed elections in the past.

Malami said, “The committee has made recommendations on how to strengthen the INEC, the participation of independent candidates, the management of political parties and tackling of electoral offences among others.

?Nnamani, during ?one of the? public hearing?s on the reform in Enugu?, ?said the report being worked upon would provide ways to? discourage attempts by politicians to win at all costs.

“We want to come up with a new system whereby no one can be sworn into office if there are election petitions hanging on his neck.

“Politicians are fond of fighting to win and saying, ‘let us go to court?”.
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The ?politcian? said it was sad that prosecution of election cases had become costlier than campaigns.

“Experience has shown that majority of the cases in our courts are either pre-election or post-election matters and we want to find a way out of this?.?

“We want to ensure that, after a candidate has spent time to campaign and is given the mandate by the electorate, such mandates will not be dropped at the court, by way of losing in the case,” he said.