EMEKA NZE contrasts the Senate’s call for reduction of political parties to five and the flurry of attacks it received from the political parties and other suggestions by party chieftains to INEC to get the democratic processes on smooth footing.
The Senate’s call for reduction of parties
Since the Senate suggested that the 92 political parties in Nigeria had become superfluous and needed to be pruned to five, the ire of political parties has been intense, even as some have tongue-lashed the upper legislative chamber as a government organ that has lost focus in carrying out its functions.
The umbrella body of the parties, the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) largely populated by mini political parties was the first to kick. The IPAC national president, High Chief Peter Ameh, who has often made a case for multi-party democracy, and had severally said he himself is a product of the multi-party democracy, would not hear of any reduction in the number of political parties in the country.
Ameh, who is also the national chairman, Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) had long said he believed in multi-party democracy, saying it opens the democratic space and guarantees the right of many Nigerians to participate in the electoral process.
SIECs should be empowered
His opinion is that the small parties have often been stifled at the states by the governors who he identified as ’emperors’ that, according to him, use the State Independent Electoral Commissioners (SIECs) for their whims and caprices.
Ameh believes that if SIECS conduct free, fair and credible elections at the local governments and ward levels, it would be a springboard for some of the smaller parties in their areas of stronghold or popularity, but he regretted that this has been rendered practically impossible as the governors often use government resources to ensure that only their parties emerge in the local government areas.
The IPAC president, who praised late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, for embarking on the litigation that saw the registration of many of the parties early into this current democratic dispensation, said continued support for multi-party democracy, to him, is a surety as long as the parties would continue to operate within the rules of the game.
NCMP slams senate
Also, other parties have been reacting to the Senate’s suggestion. The Nigerian Community Movement Party (NCMP) led by Ademola Babatunde, irked by the Senate gaffe descended heavily on the upper legislative chamber.
According to the NCMP national chairman, for making that remark, “the Red Chamber under the leadership of Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan does not have the interest of Nigerians at heart. It is too unfortunate that the Nigerian project has entered into another canoe of political rape in the hands of this set of creatures.”
Babatunde in a statement said, “The Nigeria community Movement Party (NCMP) condemned in its entirety the fraudulently manipulated and undemocratic move of the Senate to strategically destroy our collective existence, and stampede freedom of association and ability of Nigerians to question the integrity of government as clearly guaranteed under Section 40 of the CFRN, 1999 (as amended).
“This is provoking, ambiguous, inimical, undemocratic and unpatriotic move of the Senate stands against the weight of any known law and the Rule of Law, which is the beam of any successful nation.
“The 9th Assembly should take notice that, nobody sitting in that chamber became a senator of the Federal Republic without political parties. It becomes ridiculous therefore, to cripple the same vehicles that brought you to power in colouration obviously laced by personal aggrandizement.
“We doubt if some members of the Senate under the current administration would have been sitting and sleeping in the Red Chamber, as it is often noticed, if Nigeria has operated 2 or 5 party system as blindly advocated.
“The 9th Assembly should spell out their fears, as the hitherto voiceless and constraint Nigerians are now having platforms to make their statement known. Why being afraid of a possible change in the narrative as year 2023 springs around.
“Since Nigerians now have the opportunity to settle down for credible political parties, that will promote and truly protect the interest of the masses because of the poor performance of the two (2) regular actors, there is need for the upper legislature to guide the institutions of political parties jealously.
“A reduction in the number of political parties to five is never a solution rather a shameful ambition and should not be nursed by an arm of government which, by its nature, cannot function optimally without political parties.
“The Senator Lawan led Senate should profess exemplary qualities since it is being headed by a season politician with more than a decade wealth of experience in legislative activism rather than chasing shadows, that are not prioritized among numerous obstacles bedevilling our dear nation at this current time.
“The 9th Assembly should be rest assured that no matter how tough they plagued Nigerians with irrational bills like imposition of huge taxes on DSTV/GSM end users, Nigerians will prevail and win.
“They should also know that evidence abounds of their role as products of political parties that destroyed the credibility of our electoral process and the image of INEC in the 2019 General Elections.
“Some of them seated in that chamber today were alleged to have forced INEC staff to announce them as winners, some were even delayed in giving Certificates of Return due to the unwholesome attitude of their parties and candidates in the last elections.
…Wants Nigerians to resist Senate
“The NCMP calls on all Nigerians to resist the inglorious move of the Senate to silence the emergence of the children of nobody in our political landscape. It is so glaring that the 9th Assembly is not sleeping in its approach to incapacitate Nigerians from questioning it, as an integral part of the executive arm of government, a fact well cried and feared during the emergence of its principal officers. But it is too late for the Red Chamber because Nigerians are very much abreast with the socio-political realities that are on ground as we gradually sail into 2023.
“We must stand together to solve our problems by ourselves. It has always been the ambition of the political elite to continually reduce the strength of the masses to nothing and destroying our freedom of expressions and association.
“About 80 percent of the political parties registered today came to fruition due to the failed existence of the other two known recipes that ruled us for years without any appreciable impact to show for it.
“Our members put resources together to register NCMP hoping that with our ideologies, we would thrive enough to convince Nigerians to stand up and defend their land and our people through this credible political platform. We do more of sacrifice in the interest of Nigerians and Nigeria that has been robbed and battered by unpatriotic politicians.
“We can no longer fold our arms and continue to watch this 9th Assembly destroy the fundamental principles of our corporate existence as a people.
Face security challenges not party reduction
“The 9th Assembly should stand up to its responsibility and do more to truly look into the challenges facing the Police force, the DSS, the Nigerian armed forces, NAVAL, NIA, EFCC, ICPC etc. and help in building laws that will enhance the effectiveness and help our economy to grow.
“The immigration, customs, NSCDC, FRSC etc. should be your challenge, we have 4 legal borders and above one thousand porous borders in Nigeria and you expect the country to grow.
“Deal with unemployment, bad educational systems, poverty, don’t pretend that you do not see or hear or read the true pains of Nigerians, above all the Red Chamber should initiate a bill to cure the inadequacy in the number of Police prosecutors in FCT since the enactment of the administration of criminal justice act in 2015.
“Sadly to know that FCT has only (14) prosecutors, who are lawyers, having a daily task of prosecuting over 6 to 7 cases on saturated dairies across courts of distance of 40 to 60 miles away from one another. This situation has led to striking of cases for want of diligent Prosecution thereby leading to jungle justice around suburbs.
This should be the concern of the 9th Assembly.
Help govt to fix bad roads
“Not also forgetting the danger associated with bad roads across the country, taking into cognizance the total statistics of how many Nigerians are dead, still dying on a daily basis due to worst roads across the country.
“Why bothered about our platforms to associate politically? Why do you see political parties as a threat when you should be concern about the fraudulent budget of Nigeria that doesn’t reflect the actual challenges and true solutions to our problems?
“The budget of Nigeria does not reflect the true nature of our existence, the will of the people, and the sincere and transparent solutions to our problems of many years. Why are you not concerned about the reduction of number of security men you have as personal protection?”
Agenda for Senate
The NCMP has, therefore, set the following agenda for the Senate: “The 9th Assembly should pass a law that will truly reflect a befitting welfare package for the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies, be bothered and concerned about the conduct of the soldiers, the police, DSS etc.”
The party urged the senate to formulate laws that will cater for them, reduce the amount of their allowances and add that to the welfare of security agencies and make them independent of government.
Further, the party feels rather than belaboured itself about pruning of parties, it should be concerned about the lives and wellbeing of all Nigerian civil servants, look at the bills and laws that will enhance their effectiveness and efficiency.
Doing this, it thinks would help to generate more revenue for the government, ensure a sincere independent of the judiciary and check the current unitary system of appointment of our judicial officers and justices of the superior courts to make every citizen, irrespective of status, be equal before the law.
“It is very revealing that the 9th Assembly needs the help of Nigerians to navigate its conducts and bearing towards the true needs and yearnings of Nigerians.
“This 9th Assembly lacks knowledge of what we are going through on a daily basis, this Red Chamber is not informed of the errors in our health sector, financial institutions, security institutions, and host of other ministries and commissions that are just working as it should be and proffer policy solutions to the challenges.
Like others, the party wonders why the senate has not sponsored bills to know the exact state of the Treasury Single Account and the loots recovered since the APC government came on board.
Party wants Nigerians to hold NASS more accountable
NCMP therefore, implores Nigerians to do well by holding it representatives in the senate and House of Representatives accountable at their various constituencies, urged them to note down their constituency challenges and pass them across to the National Assembly so that it can be more effective and efficient.
NCMP is using this medium to call on all national chairmen of political parties to mobilize en mass all members of their parties and fellow Nigerians and lovers of democracy to stand up against this purported daylight rape of our Freedom of Association and make sure that the voice of the children of the poor masses is not silenced.
“It should be rather reversed that the Red Assembly with a lot of unserious and unconcerned leaders of different political interest be reduced in its population of senators per constituencies or outright scrapped. This is the kind of move Nigerians get when Strangers are voted into the law making body. The Red Chamber is filled with very old and inexperienced strangers who know nothing about the Nigerian Project and has no plan to make Nigeria a better place for us all.
The NCMP national chairman has this advice for the Senate, “There is the need for the National Assembly to stop been petty, but professional in their approach to strengthen our democracy. They should not use their selfish ambitions and interest to destroy what was built for the collective well-being of all Nigerians. It is unconstitutional, absolutely undemocratic and an attempt to steal away our voices.
“The Red Chamber should preoccupy itself on the process of reviewing the Electoral Act based on the experiences gathered in the last elections, it should also be pro-active to solving our electoral problems instead of looking into issues with intent to reduce political competitiveness in a democratic system.”
YDP also heckles Senate
In his open letter to the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, founder, Young Demicratic Party (YDP) governorship candidate in the 2019 general election, Ezekiel Nya-Etok, slightly agreed with the IPAC president and NCMP national chairman that it might not be wise to deregister parties.
Makeshift parties as bargain chips
Nya-Etok is worried that “parties have become instruments for political financial bargaining through sales of forms negotiations with major candidates.”
However, he suggested that, “INEC can introduce measures that ensures that only serious parties are on the ballot and proposed that 20 parties be screened to be on the ballot through the following process
Nya-Etok writes: “Today, we have my 91 registered parties, with tons and tons of requests awaiting processing. Mr Chairman, the reason for this is as simple as can be – the business of party politics.
Parties have become instruments for political financial bargaining through:
A) Sales of forms
B) Negotiations with major candidates. Every party – including the major parties, are effectively dormant until it is election season when the major party activities revolve around sales of nomination forms.
“Towards election period, there is usually the flurry of endorsements of other candidates by “merchant” candidates. This has become the new business where a party fields particularly governorship and presidential candidates solely for the purpose of endorsements bargaining.
“A clear example is in the 2019 election in Akwa Ibom state. We were 45 candidates but only 4 of us went to the ballot, while the other 41 did their business and went away with a minimum sum of N5m per candidate. For someone who did not print one poster or hold one rally or even spend a kobo and yet got paid N5m, it cannot but be considered as good business.
YDP’s prescribed solution
To select parties for the ballot for legal considerations, and for the good of democracy, the YDP chieftain said “Every party will be mandated and obligated to have a register of membership in three categories of membership.
“(A) Active voting members which he defined as those who are registered voters that are financially up-to-date by way of payment of membership registration/monthly fees as stipulated by the party.
Category B) Active nominal members as registered voters with no financial commitment to the party and category C) Nominal Members or non-registered voters who are members of the party.
He also recommends that “INEC should provide a platform were these members with PVCs synchronize with the INEC platform to ensure that no person registers with two parties, as the registration will carry the PVC details of the party members and such PVCs can only be registered to one party.
“These members in category A will form the delegates at primaries. By this method, direct primaries will become the accepted primaries for selection of candidates while any indirect primaries will be strictly based on requests to INEC and approval on peculiar circumstances. By this, parties will be compelled to undergo active membership drive.
The YDP chieftain recommended to INEC what parties should do to be on the ballot: “Close to 18 months to the general elections, INEC will publish a date for voting. The voting portal will be opened by 8am and closed by 2pm.
“During this period, all registered voters from all the political parties will indicate their preferred parties for the ballot. This exercise will be limited strictly to party members and not the general public as INEC would already have such people on their portal.
“The top 20 parties will be the parties that will be allowed to field candidates for the elections while others continue on membership drive so as to qualify in the next election cycle. If a party is unable to come among the top 20, putting them on the ballot is unwise.”
Nya-Etok believes that to have the most competent candidates on the ballot, and to compel parties to take their manifestoes serious, debates will be made compulsory, mandatory, and obligatory for presidential and governorship candidates.
“To have all 20 parties at the presidential or governorship debates will be ineffective. INEC will therefore have a second round of ballot for the top 10 parties in the format of the previous but this time it will be open all registered voters.
“This will mark the beginning of electing competent leaders as no party will field a candidate that will disgrace the party at the public debates. There will be strict sanctions for failing to show up in less than two of possible three debates.”
