18th November, 2010
We are happy with the swift opposition by Nigerians to the move by members of the National Assembly to make themselves members of the National Executive Committees of the parties as being contemplated in the proposed amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act.
Section 87 of the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act makes all committee chairmen and their deputies in the National Assembly members of NECs of their political parties.
If passed into law, this means that chairmen and deputies of the 54 committees in the Senate and chairmen and deputies of the 70 committees in the House of Representatives will be members of NECs of their respective parties.
What this means is that the Federal legislators who are seeking to control the NECs of their parties because they will be the largest simple voting block in the councils.
It is gratifying to note that it is not only ordinary Nigerians that have kicked against the proposed amendment, governors and some of the registered political parties have kicked against it.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues on the controversial new amendment, Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Kwara State governor, Bukola Saraki, had raised objection to the proposed amendment, describing it as a law that will not impact positively on the country and its citizens.
According to Saraki, “as leaders, we should always see to it that the welfare and interest of the electorate are ahead of our own and that is why we (governors) will never support this constitutional aberration which comes in the name of Electoral Act Amendment.â€
Apart from the governors, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, also condemned the insertion of Section 87 in the Electoral Act, describing it as selfish and an attempt by the federal lawmakers to take over the running of the parties by their numerical strength.
Critics of the proposed amendment also argue that if passed into law, the new amendment will render governors irrelevant in the parties while power will now reside in the legislators.
On no account must we allow federal legislators who have been accused of insensitivity in the huge salary and allowances they allocated to themselves, to ride roughshod over the rest of us.
This is another period for all men of goodwill who believe in separation of powers to stand and be counted on the side of the people. The proposed amendment to the Electoral Act should be thrown out immediately. It should not be allowed to see the light of the day.
Federal legislators should be told in unmistakable terms that their job as representatives of the people is to make good laws for the good order of the society and not to embark on a journey of self aggrandizement as the proposed amendment tends to portray them.
There are other issues begging for their attention than this self seeking amendment which will further alienate them from the people.
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