Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has faulted the House of Representatives’ bill seeking the establishment of the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission, which aims to register, regulate, and monitor the organization and operation of political parties in Nigeria.
Although the ex-Vice Presiden lauded the initiative to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission of the powers to register and regulate the activities of political parties, he warned of the financial implications of creating another public institution, given the economic realities of the time.
The bill was co-sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and the member representing Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency, Edo State, Mr Marcus Onobun.
Findings by The PUNCH revealed that the bill currently before the House Committee on Constitution Review, seeks to alter Sections 40, 81, 84,153, 222, 225, 226, 228 and the Third Schedule of the Constitution to establish the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission and empower it to register, regulate and monitor political parties in the country.
According to the explanatory memorandum, this will “Reduce the burden on INEC and also allows the PPRRC to focus squarely on regulating and registration, dissolution and monitoring of the operation, finances, internal democracy, primaries and general conduct of political parties in Nigeria to ensure order, transparency and a level playing field.”
Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Tuesday, Atiku noted that INEC, as currently constituted, is saddled with too many responsibilities, so much that its capacity to deliver on the primary mandate of conducting free, credible and transparent elections has been called into question in the past few years.
The former Vice President, who spoke through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said, “INEC is biting more than it can chew. Some of the tasks it is saddled with give room for a lot of distraction. As good as it is to relieve the umpire of these tasks, the way to go is not to establish another commission. Instead of creating another commission, agencies like the National Identity Management Commission can be empowered to register and monitor the activities of political parties.”
He noted that the INEC Nigeria needs a well-structured agency to deliver on the mandate for which it was established.
“Nigeria needs a well-structured INEC that is efficient in service delivery. We don’t need to establish another commission to replicate functions that can be performed by already existing institutions,” he added.
Speaking through the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Tanko Yunusa, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, faulted the planned amendment of the bill, noting that the registration of political parties remains one of the primary duties of INEC.
Yunusa said, “What we advocated based on Justice Muhammed Uwais Report was an Electoral Monitoring Committee,, which will deal with elections and an Enforcement Commission, which will enforce laws on credible elections. The third one is the Delineation Commission.
“You cannot strip INEC completely of the powers to register and regulate political parties; that is one of its primary roles. The Constitution Review Committee should have concentrated on the Enforcement Commission, which will deal with the issues of electoral malfeasance. This will take care of electoral malpractices. INEC can be relieved of this role to enable it to concentrate on election conduct and parties’ registration.”
Also speaking, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Segun Sowunmi, told The PUNCH that making new laws is not the solution to the nation’s electoral challenges.
“From our experience, we seem to like making laws we won’t obey and creating multiple organisations to do what one can do in the hope that the laws or the institutions are the problem, without accepting that we, the people, are the challenge,” Sowunmi said.
APC chieftain, LP, YPP, others back proposed legislation
Meanwhile, the Director of Publicity of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bala Ibrahim, has described the plan to strip INEC of its powers to register political parties as a step in the right direction.
Sourced from Punch newspaper
