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Electoral Reform: Yar’Adua Sends 7 Bills to
N’Assembly
•Seeks amendment of 1999 Constitution |
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By Collins Edomaruse in Lagos and
Juliana Taiwo in Abuja, 05.03.2009
Thisday |
President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, last
Thur-sday sent seven bills aimed at
implementing the Justice Muhammed Uwais
Electoral Reforms Committee Report to
the National Assembly seeking amendment
to relevant sections of the 1999
Constit-ution, the Electoral Act and
other relevant laws.
The President’s action signals the
beginning of the reforms to the nation’s
electoral process, which he promised
Nigerians on his inauguration day on May
29, 2007 as part of the seven-Point
agenda of his administration.
Special Adviser to the President on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Olusegun
Adeniyi, said in a statement at the
weekend that Yar’Adua, in separate
letters to the President of the Senate,
Senator David Mark and Speaker of the
House of Represent-atives, Hon. ’Dimeji
Bankole, requested the lawmakers to give
what he called an expeditious passage of
the bills considering “their vital
importance and in the larger national
interest”.
The bills forwarded to the National
Assembly by the president include: A
bill for an Act to Amend the Independent
National Elec-toral Commission (INEC)
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 1999
and for other Matters Connected Thereto;
a bill for an Act to Establish the
Electoral Offences Commi-ssion and for
other Matters Connected Thereto; and a
bill for an Act to Establish the Centre
for Democratic Studies and other Related
Matters.
Others are: A bill for an Act to Further
Amend the Police Act 1967 CAP P19 2004
LFN and for Matters Connected Thereto; a
bill for an Act to Establish the
Political Parties Registration and
Regulatory Commission and for other
Matters Connected Thereto; and a bill
for an Act to Amend the Independent
National Electoral Commission Act CAP 15
LFN2004 and for other Matters Connected
Thereto.
Explaining Yar’Adua’s action, Adeniyi
stated that: “The import of these Bills
is to underscore his commitment to
addressing the lapses and inadequacies
which impinge on the quality and
credibility of the electoral process in
our country so as to ensure that future
elections meet acceptable international
standards of fairness and transparency
and restore integrity to the ballot box.
“The amendment proposed for the 1999
Constitu-tion is to, among other things,
provide for independent candidature,
prohibit cross-carpeting by elected
office holders and make the funding of
INEC a first line charge on the
Consolidated Revenue Fund. It will also
provide additional sanctions for persons
convicted of electoral offences by
declaring such convicts unfit to stand
for election for ten years. There are
many other far-reaching provisions in
these bills,” he added.
The Uwais Report, presented to the
President five months ago, has generated
a number of reactions from Nigerians.
One of the reactions was the criticism
against the Presidency’s rejection of
the committee’s recommendation that
nomination of the chairman of the
Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) be made by the Chief
Justice of Nigeria to the National
Assembly for screening and back to the
President for appointment.
In rejecting the recommendation, the
Presi-dency argued that ceding the
constitutional power to appoint the
chairman of INEC would amount to an
abdication of responsibility and
infringe on the principle of separation
of powers.
The Presidency had set up two different
committees to review the Uwais panel
report before issuing a white paper on
it. The first committee was headed by
Minister of Defence, Dr. Shettima
Mustapha while the second one was headed
by Attorney –General and Minister of
Justice, Mike Anondoakaa (SAN).
On the Ekiti rerun election crisis,
Adeniyi said: “Like everyone else, the
President wanted, and still wants, free
and fair elections in Ekiti State. For
him, the crisis thrown up by the April
25 election is an avoidable distraction.
But it is also a forceful reminder of
the imperative of systemic electoral
reforms, which he has (on his own
volition) committed himself to.”
He also said: “The situation in Ekiti
State has made an urgent case for
putting in place a robust system that
will rein in a desperate political
culture that has been on full display in
the lead-up to, during and after the
Ekiti polls. This is the unfinished
business of our politics. It will
therefore only be fair to judge the
President on his commitment to electoral
reforms after they have been put in
place and tested, not before,” he added.
The Presidential spoke-sman regretted
that: “In the main, the sincerity of
Yar’Adua is being doubted by some people
because he is seen as not disinterested
since his party is involved.
“As a loyal party man, the President
would love PDP to win in Ekiti State.
But he is much more interested in the
supremacy of the will of Ekiti people.
This he has said over and over again. We
need to give him the benefit of the
doubt on this and stop assuming that he
is more committed to his party than to
free and fair elections or to the larger
interests of Nigeria,” he said.
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