By Abba Dukawa
Since the returns of democracy in the country the issues of election process remain subject of discussions as always citizens hoping for a reforms which will overhaul the system. Only late Yar'adua had a courage in 2007 for accepting the elections that brought him were faulty, that only made him leader to make such confessional statements in the country but his commitment toward good electoral system in the country not being achieved.
In recent years, politics and elections in the country have been seriously monetized. Political class appears to hold the belief that votes are commodities that could be purchased from the electorates. Once paid for, the electorates are robbed of the power to demand accountability. Money politics is driven by the high level of poverty in the country.
Despite the negative consequences of too much monetized polity and it has been growing on an alarming rate. One thing that both legislative and executive arms should do is to work together in reforming country’s electoral system that will put the country in a befitting place among civilised nations of the world but sincerity and honesty on the part of the nation’s rulers could ensure made it possible.
Even though, no one in the country has clearly had bitter experience against the electoral system like President Buhari. Because he said he was a victim of electoral fraud but his administration has not initiated any bill to improve the electoral system.
A year away of the 2023 general elections President had last month declined to signed the electoral amendment Act bill, This time around I agreed with the president for not signing the the Electoral bill into law citing the high cost of conducting direct primary by political parties.
What Nigerians needs at this critical year is a good legal framework that will helps to have a good election with integrity and electoral integrity actually enhances democratic consolidations and the preparations and conduct of elections democratically now and in the future elections.
Nigerians wants to know why lawmakers substantially raise the campaign spending on all candidates who contested for key elective positions across executive and legislative arms of government.
In the 2010 Electoral Act which regulates the conduct of the keenly contested for 2015 general elections which placed campaign spending limits on presidential candidate and the governorship candidate must not spend above N1billion and N200 million, respectively, the senatorial candidate, the House of Representatives candidate and the State Assembly candidate must not spend beyond N40 million, N20 million and N10 million, respectively.
Now Electoral (Amendment) Bill under section 88 increase campaign spending on all candidates who contested for key elective positions presidential candidate would be free to spend up to N15 billion, a governorship candidate, N5 billion; a senatorial candidate, N1.5 billion; a House of Representatives candidate, N500 million and a state Assembly candidate, N50 million.
A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Attahiru Jega urged the National Assembly to jettison direct primaries for the moment to ensure that the bill was signed into law before future elections. Noted that the political parties might not have the capacity to effectively implement direct primaries, said, “To me the priority now is to give INEC the law to prepare for the 2023 election and the only way to do that is to drop the provision for direct primaries and give it to the president to sign.”
Let the lawmakers to remove the clause on direct primaries and resend the bill to the president for assent.
National Assembly had failed to consult the political parties when drafting the electoral bill. There is need for Executive, Legislative to engage critical stakeholders to usher in election reforms that can help to improve our election management process and thereby deepen our democracy.
Since 2010 Nigeria have not had substantive electoral legal framework so both critical stakeholders should do everything possible to ensure that we go into next election with a new bill. There is need for Electoral (Amendment) Bill to becomes law as soon as possible in order not to armstrong INEC’s preparation for the conduct of the 2023 elections.
It is very important that we have a new legal framework for the preparations and conduct of the 2023 election because it will improve the integrity. Override president is not an option let National Assembly strive to give the country a new electoral law before the 2023 general election. Nigeria Needs Genuine Electoral Reforms.
One of the greatest challenge for Nigeria's problem has been identified by most analysts and social commentators as the absence of true leadership.
This I believe is just one aspect of the reality. Both leaders and followers are guilty in pushing the country to it's present situations.
Both leaders and the led don't want to do the right while leaders do things with impunity as citizens are regretting to say that our yesterday as a nation was better than our today.
Abba Dukawa is a journalist, he wrote from Kano.
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