Politics
Ex-INEC Boss Canvasses Simple Majority Rule Review
A former member of the Prof. Humphrey Nwosu led electoral commission, Prof. Adele Jinadu has advocated the review of the simple majority rule of declaring the winner in an election.
In a telephone interview with newsmen in Lagos, Jinadu said that election rigging would continue if the winner had to “take all the glory” on the basis that he was declared winner on simple majority rule.
“By virtue of garnering substantial number of votes in an election, other parties besides the winner should be entitled to hold some key government positions on the merit of their effort,’’ he said.
He said that the government could learn about proportional representation from sister African countries like South Africa where the representative system had been in use for a long time.
He said although many might claim that Nigeria was not ripe for that system of representation, but argued that it was in fact what the nation needed to curb corruption in government.
“In South Africa, the second placed political party at a national election produces the second vice president while other parties based on votes to them get some key ministerial roles. “Such approach in Nigeria will enrich the process to public policy making since different political ideologies through their members in the executive will be involved. “It will make the ruling party conscious of retaining its electoral victory in the next election and also engender inbuilt checks and balances in government which is the necessary antidote against corruption,’’ he said.
Jinadu argued that addressing that simple majority rule ought to be the most important aspect of any electoral reform in the country.
Prof. Tunde Babawale, the Director General, Centre for Black and Africa Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) on May 14 had called for cancellation of the “simple majority principle”.
He said the principle was also known as First-Past-the-Post system and that it was “bringing out in full blast the negations of a political system where the winner takes it all and the loser looses it all’.
“Elections will continue to be a ‘do or die’ affair if the winner by a simple majority have to take it all,’’ he said.
He said that Brazil and many developing economies like Nigeria had instituted constitutional means where even parties with certain number of legislative seats were entitled to executive positions.
“Nigeria can even adopt a system where Board positions and some appointments to parastatal bodies of government go to certain political parties for getting specific votes at elections.
“The habit of forming or calling for a government of National Unity as a way of involving losers at elections cannot be taken as forming a representative government,’’ he said.
The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.
In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.
“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.
“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.
“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.
Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.
“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”
On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.
Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.
The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.
Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.
The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.
However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.
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