Senator Ekweremadu Proposes Single Term For Political Office Holders; Wants INEC To Conduct Party Primaries
During a retreat organized
by the presidential committee in Uyo, Akwa Ibom on Thursday, The Deputy
President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, charged the Constitution and
Electoral Reform Committee to help restore the fast declining independence of
the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in order to preserve the
nation’s democracy.
He also suggested
single term of office to reduce desperation and impunity by politicians as well
as the conduct of party primaries by INEC to reduce the life and death struggle
by politicians for control of party machinery.
The
Senator who also chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, explained
that the essence of the amendments to Sections 81 and 156 of the 1999
Constitution by the National Assembly in 2010 was to guarantee the financial
autonomy and neutrality of INEC, but lamented that the gains made from such
provisions in the 2011 and 2015 general elections were being eroded.
He
said: “The word ‘Independent’ in the name of our Election Management Body,
INEC, is critical and must be defended and preserved if our democracy must
survive.
“The world is watching too. We must ensure
that INEC is retained to Independent National Electoral Commission in name and
practice, not just National Electoral Commission as it is presently and
dangerously drifting to. Inconclusiveness, postponement, cancellation, and
manipulation are dangerous signs on the road to 2019”.
He
proposed a jail term without option of fine for security agents as well as
staff and ad-hoc staff of INEC, whom he said currently “get away with brazen
impunity and malpractices”.
He stated that It
is wrong for anybody to engage in electoral malpractice, but it is even worse
if guardians of the sanctity of the ballot box become the desecrators of the
process”, The Deputy President of the Senate also said that a single term of
office was the way to go to reduce the desperation of incumbents, which in
turns defiles the electoral process and endangers democracy.
“Much of the impunity,
violence, and malpractices that defile our electoral system are caused by
desperation for a second term of office; a single term of six years, for
example, for incumbent executives to conclude all their ‘good work’, will
certainly reduce the weight and influence they bring to bear on elections
remotely or directly affecting them” he said.
On
how conduct of primaries by an independent INEC could help reduce the power
struggles in political parties and ensure the popular candidates emerge,
Ekweremadu explained: “This is the practice in Ghana. It will reduce the
competition amongst stakeholders to take control of the party machinery. At the
moment, it is almost a life and death matter during the primaries of political
parties”.
He
said since the electoral laws were amended in 2010 to end funding of political
parties by INEC, hence such funds should be channeled to financing conduct of
party primaries by INEC.
Ekweremadu
also canvassed the amendment of Section 77 of the Constitution to allow
diaspora voting, noting that, “Nigeria has a theming diaspora community, both
in terms of number and quality, and these people deserve to have a say in who
governs their country, especially given their contributions to national
development”.
Other
reforms he canvassed were rotation of presidential and governorship seats among
the geopolitical zones and senatorial districts, respectively, possibly for a
given period of time; compulsory electronic voting; early primaries; conclusion
of pre-election matters before general election; and a hybrid of presidential
and parliamentary system to reduce cost of governance and improve synergy
between the executive and legislature.
He
pledged the commitment of the National Assembly to working with the
presidential Committee to better the nation’s democracy.
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