Moghalu Petitions National Assembly Leadership On Electoral Reform

To Build a Nation (TBAN), the nationwide non-partisan citizens movement founded by Professor Kingsley Moghalu, a presidential candidate in the 2019 general election and a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has announced the kick-off of its campaign for one million signatures to a petition to the National Assembly for fundamental electoral reform in Nigeria.

In separate letters addressed to Senator Ahmad Lawan, President of the Senate, and Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Moghalu stated: “As a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and with the understanding of my constitutional role and duty as a citizen, I am writing to petition the National Assembly on the need to immediately ensure the fundamental reform of the legal framework governing our electoral process in order to safeguard our democracy and to strengthen our democratic institutions.”

All Nigerians who desire a deep reform of the legal framework for the country’s electoral system are enjoined to download and sign a copy of the petition, which is available on TBAN’s website: www.tobuildanation.org.

The petition calls for electronic accreditation of all voters, electronic collation of all votes, electronic transmission of votes from polling units, and the legal empowerment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adopt electronic and digital voting in pilot phases by 2023 and fully by 2027. The petition also calls for eligible Nigerians in the diaspora to be allowed to exercise their political franchise by voting digitally in Nigerian elections by 2023.

Prof. Moghalu, who is a former senior official of the United Nations and a Professor of Public Policy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, USA, was the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the 2019 elections. He ran a strong campaign that influenced a shift in Nigeria’s political narrative and increased awareness of alternative possibilities for effective, 21st leadership in Africa’s most populous nation.

Moghalu resigned his membership of the YPP in October 2019 and convened TBAN in order to campaign for electoral and political reform on a non-partisan basis. The movement is dedicated to advocacy and mobilisation for entrenchment of democratic ideals, including making citizens’ votes to count and an a more informed electorate. TBAN also advocates lower cost of governance, and for a constitutional restructuring of Nigeria back to true federalism.

TBAN is governed by a Board of Directors comprising Prof. Moghalu; Maryanne Moghalu, a lawyer and social entrepreneur; Farouk Shehu, a former Director in the CBN; Jide Akintunde, a development professional and publisher; Tope Fasua, an economist and the founder and presidential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP); Ann Nnena Ahukanna, a lawyer and entrepreneur; Umma Getso, an entrepreneur, advocate for girl-child education and political activist who was the Vice-Presidential candidate on Moghalu’s ticket in the 2019 election; Dr. Emeka Ujam, a former Member of the House of Representatives; and Charles Orbih, a United States-based cybersecurity expert.

Jude Feranmi Adejuwon is the Executive Director of TBAN.

Signed
Jide Akintunde
Spokesperson, To Build a Nation