ABEOKUTA– The Federal Government of Nigeria has been advised to set up an Independent Electoral Offenses Commission to prosecute electoral offenders in the country.
This form the major decisions and Communiqué of stakeholders under the Penpushing Media platform and endorsed by the editorial board Chairman, Funke Fadugba on the topic, ’Ahead of 2023 Elections: Challenges of Reforming the Electoral Process and Political Parties’.
The stakeholders, formed from various professions discussed the concerns and agitations of the nation’s political structure and it’s challenges in the last 2 decades.
After an extensive discussion, it was agreed that if the nation’s democracy is to strive and be sustainable there is the urgent need to address areas of weaknesses that have been inimical to the real democratic emancipation of the country.
“It is based on the negative implications of these undemocratic norms that Penpushing is calling for the establishment of a functional, independent and well staffed Election Offences Commission or Tribunal to prosecute electoral offenders”, the communiqué partly reads.
The participants further raised that concerns of many Nigerians both within and from Diaspora about the future of the nation’s democracy as the country is groaning under what has been variously described as flawed electoral process and with political parties that are devoid of ideological orientation.
The stakeholders equally called on the National Assembly to as a matter of priority and with the speed that will meet the time frame allocated for any constitutional amendment as it concerns elections, provide necessary constitutional amendment that will enhance the electoral process, and promote good party structure and consequently enhance performances.
“These undemocratic practices have continued to dent the integrity and outcome of past elections. These ugly incidents instead of abating have continued unchecked. It observed that after 2 decades of uninterrupted democratic rule and party politics in Nigeria, the country is yet to have political parties that are based on political ideologies”,
“This is obvious in the shameful manner that Nigerian politicians most especially elected officials have been cross-carpeting from one political party to another without recourse to the constituents”
The discussants expressed concern that while there is a portion of the constitution that stated the guidelines for cross-carpeting, the guidelines have never been followed with the National Assembly is guilty of this.
The stakeholders, therefore called on the National lawmakers to strengthen the constitutional guidelines and implement same in order to build political parties with political ideology, and held the opinion that any elected officer who cross carpet or decamp while occupying the seat should have his/her seat in be declared vacant and such decampee should be made to go back to the electorate to seek fresh mandate based on his/her new political party.
“We believe that Nigeria’s democracy is ripe enough for electronic voting. Just recently, a former elected President in Nigeria who has seen it all said that a major panacea for free and fair elections in Nigeria would be the introduction and implementation of electronic voting”.
“With the technological advancements, and the quality of Nigeria’s human resource, the country can pioneer successful electronic voting in Africa. This will reduce all misdemeanors that are associated with the current show-your-face at the polling booth and cumbersome method already in operation”.
“The possibility of the success of e-voting has been demonstrated by some professional organisations in the country who in recent times have conducted their elections through e-voting”.
The discussants therefore called on the National Assembly to entrench e-voting in the nation’s electoral laws and guidelines, adding that political party supremacy should be further strengthened in such a way that the party Chairman will assume the actual and functional roles of the party leader noting that this was the arrangement among the political parties before military incursion into politics.
“The present arrangement whereby the President or the Governor as the case maybe assumes the role of party leader should be discouraged as it compromises party’s functionality. Similar to that is the issue of proliferation of political parties”, the communiqué said.
“While the constitution guarantees the freedom of association, the participants are suggesting that a stringent but democratic condition should be constitutionally put in place that will prohibit mushrooming of political parties which are always established and funded by political money bags with the ulterior motives of causing political instability”, the communiqué added
