Is there any special provision for those living with disability in the ongoing electoral reform? What is being done about the local government structure as well as the conduct of elections at that level? These are two critical questions among many that came up during a campaign for grassroots support for electoral reform in Langtang North/South federal constituency of Plateau State.

Indeed the second question on local government elections could not have come at a more auspicious time for the two local governments considering the fraud that attended elections in the two councils in November 2008. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led state government had barefacedly snatched victory from the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in Langtang North and the Action Congress (AC) in Langtang South. But they were later upturned by the courts.

Incidentally, the Justice Muhammed Lawal Uwais Committee on Electoral Reforms has proposed solutions to many grey areas of Nigeria's electoral laws including the questions raised by the participants at the rally which took place in Lantnag, the headquarters of Langtang North Local Government Area last weekend.

Organised by the Civil Society Coordinating Committee (CSCC) on electoral reform and facilitated by United Nations Development Fund and the Joint Donor Basket Fund, the rally was meant to connect with the grassroots and sensitise stakeholders to some of the recommendations of the Uwais panel. Thus with the collaboration of the member representing Langtang North/South in the House of Representatives Rep Beni Lar (Plateau, PDP), daughter of the second republic governor of Plateau State and pioneer chairman of the ruling PDP Chief Solomon Lar the event was, to say the least, a success.

Mr. Emma Azeazu, General Secretary of the Alliance for Credible Elections took turn to highlight some salient aspects of the Uwais recommendations which he noted would introduce some sanity into Nigeria's electoral system. He highlighted five areas including the appointment of the board of the country's electoral commission (INEC) and the need for its financial independence as recommended by Uwais.

Azeazu also dwelt into the recommendation that all electoral petitions be dispensed by the courts before elected officials could be sworn in. This recommendation particularly attracted the approval of the rally, obviously because of their recent experience at the local government polls where PDP candidates who stole mandates ran the two local governments illegally. "The thing is that such officers cannot be accountable to you because they know you didn't vote them," Mr. Azeazu told the gathering.

Another area the civil society activist harped on were the need to shift the onus of proof in electoral cases to INEC, something that will certainly make legal practitioners have easier access to electoral materials. At the moment, counsels to petitioners often find it very difficult to get INEC to release materials for inspection and such arguments help in prolonging the time of electoral litigations.

In a lecture titled "Understanding the Electoral Reform Recommendation and their Implications", a Jos based civil society activist Comrade Titus Mann said that the choice of the two Langtangs for Saturday's sensitisation rally could not have been more apt in view of their recent experience in the local government polls.

"The Uwais committee was set up based on the observation that the laws in place can't give us credible elections," Mann said stressing that "we have to make sure that the next election (in 2011) are credible so that we can hold our leaders accountable."

In his lecture, Mann also regretted that the Uwais report, as comprehensive and promising, has come under serious threat by the very apparatus that conceived the idea. He urged the gathering to push their elected representatives to act fast so that the country's democratic aspirations will be realised.

The chairmen of Langtang North and Langtang South Brian Bintim Dadi and Hitler Dadi respectively who personally attended the rally commended the organisers and particularly, Hon Beni Lar for coming to involve people at the grassroots in the ongoing electoral reform process and promised to collaborate in the effort.

"Nigerians must be allowed to choose their leaders. We will sensitise our people on this matter," Hitler Dadi (AC), chairman of Langtang South who recovered his victory from the PDP most recently at the tribunal said.

In her address at the occasion, Hon. Beni Lar told the gathering that the National Assembly has done quite a lot concerning the reforms, especially with regard to the 7 bills which President Umaru Yar'adua sent to the National Assembly. She said the national assembly is responsibly working to ensure that the reforms come into effect before the 2011 elections.

The bills she said are as follows:

• A bill for an Act to Amend the Independent National Electoral Commission Act Cap 15 LFN 2004 and other Matters connected thereto;
• A bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and for other matters connected thereto;
• A bill for and Act to establish the Electoral Offences Commission and for other matters connected thereto;
• A bill for an Act to establish the Centre for Democratic Studies and other related matters;
• A bill for an act to further Amend the Police Act 1967 Cap 19 and for matters connected thereto
• A bill for an Act to establish the Political Parties Registration and Regualtions Commission.
• A bill for an act to amend the Independent National Electoral Commission act.

She said though some of the bills suffered set backs, tremendous progress have been recorded in some of them.

Lar who earlier led the civil society delegation to the state House of Assembly in Jos emphasised to the lawmakers the need to treat the electoral reform with the seriousness it deserves.

Lar also seized the occasion to appeal for peace in the state following the recent sectarian crisis. "Let's respect the fundamental right of everyone. Everyone has the right to live and nobody has the right to take another person's life," she said stressing that no matter how well the electoral reform is carried out, the people of Plateau State will not enjoy it if peace does not prevail.

Minority Leader John Clerk who received the delegation on behalf of the Speaker promised to partner with the delegation to cover the entire state in the enlightenment programme that is aimed at improving the country's electoral system.