Politics
2023: Group Tasks INEC On Fairness To Political Parties
The Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts (ASSPT) has tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be fair to all political parties ahead of 2023 general elections.
The Director of the School, Dr Sam Amadi, made the call at a news conference in Abuja, on Tuesday while speaking on the uploading of party agents for the Feb. 25 presidential election.
Amadi urged INEC to work hard and simplify its digital processes to enable efficient and timely upload of Polling Units (PUs) agents by political parties.
He equally advised the commission to factor the interests and challenges faced by the less established political parties in managing its deadlines.
Amadi said from the group’s interactions with some of the parties “outside the major ones, namely the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress, the Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party” the feedbacks were not encouraging.
“We receive reports of difficulty in uploading party agents including difficulty of using the INEC’s portal and the number of PUs to be uploaded.
”Some of the officials of these parties informed us that INEC official did not notify them that their method will only provide online forms suitable for self-service and not for enterprise use cases.
“Some of them have also complained that the tasks requires more time that INEC allocates.
”Some of these party officials are requesting INEC to adopt the Enterprise Data Upload Method which will be easier and faster to enable them to quickly upload their agents.
”And this will enable them be in a position to monitor and defend their votes, especially in the presidential and governorship elections where incentives for rigging and manipulations may be high.
“INEC should recognise the comparative disadvantage of the less established parties and grant them amply opportunity to meet the deadline.
”If INEC is not able to be flexible with its system to enable smooth upload, then it should, within its conveniences and schedule, consider to extend the deadline.
“This will enable effective participation by the less established parties, outside the Big Four to ensure fair participation in competitive election, “ Amadi explained.
Our correspondent reports that the school at the event launched a 2023 Election Observatory to monitor, analyse and provide solutions to issues that would affect the credibility and fairness of the elections.
Amadi said the gesture became necessary in order to help the INEC with necessary information in its preparations towards a credible exercise.
He said, “the objective of the observatory is to offer an independent analysis of the challenges of free and fair election to INEC as the country approaches its general elections.
“We believe that the most important aspect of the electoral process is not the actual voting, but actions taken by the electoral management body to make voting free and fair.
“We are not engaged in election monitoring but rather in observing and analysing the processes and procedures that guarantee fairness and credibility of voting and declaration of results.
“To this end, we will be having weekly press briefings to highlight challenges and offer solutions to ensure the conduct of the 2023 elections remain free, fair and credible.”
The school urged INEC to ensure that all eligible registered voters collect their Permanent Voter Cards(PVCs) before the election dates to avoid disenfranchisement.
He explained that the logistics could be overwhelming for the institutions, adding that the election is a crucial one and its competitiveness requires more transparency and accountability than in the past.
He commended INEC for the decision to use its staff to conduct the election rather than academics outside its control.
“By establishing a committee of its senior management and taking ownership of the process, INEC is proving that it is learning from the failures of the past and is determined to conduct more efficient and reliable elections in 2023.
“This decision underlines a recognition of the needs to standardise the procedures and processes of the elections.
“This is more so as the returning officers make decisions that at times are arbitrary and capricious to undermine the fairness of electoral outcomes,” he said.
Mr Kenneth Eze of Speak Out Africa Initiative, urged INEC to put measures in place for all eligible registered voters, especially students who were now back to their various schools, get their voting PVCs.
“We all know that when the Continuous Voter Registration was conducted, Nigeria students were home due to eight months strike declared by ASUU.
“Today, as we are talking PVCs distributoon and collection, these same largest decision making constituency are currently back in their school busy with their studies.
“Its unfortunate and I am calling the attention of INEC. There is no way they will be in school and still collect their PVCs which they did at home.
“Youth population is over 26 million as we were told by INEC and they must be part of determining who governance us in the next four years, “he said.
He urged the Federal Government to declare public holiday for students for one week and mandate ASUU, Nigeria University Commission (NUC) and stakeholders in education sector to suspend every activity during this one week break.
Oh his part, Mr Law Mefor, fellow of the school, urged INEC to improve its delivery system and overcome some of the managerial shortcomings recorded in the past weeks.
He said some of these suggestions were made to provide fair and effective participation in INEC process and to avert litigations that might damage the credibility of the entire process. (
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.