The Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday shunned the technical session on the amendment of the Electoral Act held by the Joint National Assembly Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Joint National Assembly Panel held a public hearing on the amendment of Electoral Act last week at the Senate wing of the National Assembly.
The lawmakers proceeded with the amendment on Tuesday by holding a Technical Session with the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, in attendance to brainstorm on some issues in the proposed amendment.
But Malami or his representatives was no where to be found when the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya, and other members of the Committee introduced themselves.
The Chairman however asked the Committee Secretariat to contact the office of the AGF over his absence at the meeting.
Speaking during the meeting, the INEC boss said there is the need to create additional polling units in the country, adding that the commission discussed the issue during their meeting on Tuesday.
According to Yakubu: “We need to create additional pooling unit.
“This is part of our discussion at the meeting of the commission today.
“We need to expand access of voters to polling units.
“The last time polling units were created was in 1996.”
Speaking earlier, Gaya said the Joint Committee received a total number of 35 submissions and several other presentations, including the presentation of Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
He added that part of the submission of stakeholders are Diaspora voting, full biometric for accreditation, electronic voting and electronic voting and electronic transmission of vote results, reduction in the cost conducting elections, electronic accreditation, continuous registration of voters and improvement of election administration.
