The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers said on Wednesday that a five-party system would guarantee and strengthen the electoral process in Nigeria.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Port Harcourt that the nation’s electoral system needed to be sanitised.

He said a five-party system was the best for the country to overcome electoral irregularities and shake off corruption among political parties.

“We don’t want unserious political associations whose members stay at home with their wives to demand money from government.

“Many of them are registered to disappear during elections,” Ikoiwak said.

According to him, a five party structure will raise the standard of Nigeria’s electoral process because all the parties will be serious in contest for power.

The commissioner urged the country to strive towards better electoral process which could be attained through a five-party system or lesser.

Ikoiwak explained that such system would usher in an unprecedented grassroots mobilisation and participation in the electoral process with its attendant accountability.

He emphasised the importance of grassroots inclusiveness in the nation’s electoral process, saying that it was the foundation of any viable democracy.

He decried the misconduct of some political parties which nominated fraudulent candidates, adding that it would be eliminated through the system, if adopted.

Ikoiwak explained that some unserious party candidates had developed the habit of playing the role of ‘’spoilers’’ if they were not settled by serious opponents.

The commissioner said that such misconduct was common under the current multi-party system.

He, however, expressed optimism on the ability of the commission to flush out corrupt politicians if the right political party system was adopted.

According to him, it is the constitutional right of the commission to register and also de-register parties, drawing its powers from the Electoral Act.
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news-update/inec-commissioner-suggests-five-parties-for-nigeria/

first to comment!!!! (dancing azonto on lagos-ibadan expressway)

i dey even suggest 3 parties... but for the avoidance of tribalism whereby each major ethnic group shares them. maybe 4 would be more appropriate.


rEMEMBER FIRST TO COMMENT!!!! FIRST TO COMMENT!!!!! YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! (continues the azonto dance)

i suggest 500

so that stolen money goes to fewer channels iGuess

Alingo dance on my mind, Naija and their talk shows. Fools

PAPAS DECEIVING PEOPLE(PDP) ASIWAJU COMPANY OF NIGERIA (ACN) ALL PEOPLE GULPING ALLIANCE (APGA) CRIMINAL PEOPLES CONGRESS(CPC) ALL NIGERIA POLITICAL PROBLEM(ANPP) ALL THIEVING PARTIES

I Prefer it too, The lesser, the better

lesser the better

Wot'sup with d 1st 2 comment thingy? Does Seun give out prizes or are they given free MB or what? Cos it's way too childish. Mayb they do it 4 fun or mere attention seekers. @topic, i like d idea cos we've got several parties in dis country and one gets 2 wonder if some exist or not.

Kudos commissioner ! The majority of Nigerians will like the country to go back to parliamentary system of government for effective and efficient political cum economic development against this failed presidential system.

How does it affect the price of G4?

I wil support it if PDP is scraped off from the five cos they are the capital of corruption. It wil go a long way 2 decorrupt dis country

the best option for Nigeria is two party system and voting should be open ballot, that was why june 12 was the most successful furthermore there can be parties within party like the tea party of US. by this most of the politiking will be done within the party.

open ballot is cost effective and it eliminate hypocracy, it will also reduce rigging as vote are counted in everybodys glare

@Danilsa...... your post make sence,you really know there full mean.( ALL THIEVING PARTIES )

And the parties will be ACN, ANPP, APGA, CPC & PDP.
This is a joke for now.

Nice idea.

So on point. Nigerian political parties are just too much.

Whats with this "First to Comment", "Second to Comment" ish? because i dont see anybody getting any awards. Kinda makes me assume some people on nairaland havent gone through pub.erty.

That will be good,but will our thieving politician accept this? No! Some of them have no business being in politics,the likes of Dele momodu,Chris okotie etc,they only contested just to be popular,and boost their CVs. A man that can't win the vote of his family,wanting to convince Nigerian to vote for him. SMH for our thieving politicians.

maskid: i dey even suggest 3 parties... but for the avoidance of tribalism whereby each major ethnic group shares them. maybe 4 would be more appropriate.


rEMEMBER FIRST TO COMMENT!!!! FIRST TO COMMENT!!!!! YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! (continues the azonto dance)

And they will successfully label 3 of the four as tribal parties and one as National, and you and I knew whom that national one will be?
Two party system and nothing else suits Nigeria, as SDP/NRC proves that and maybe add the option of independent candidacy.
And there should be constitutional law that will stipulate:

1- if you crossed carpet from one party to another, you cannot contest under your new party under two years membership and the same for independent candidates.

2- You can only contest as an independent if you have been free from being a member of the two parties for a two years minimum period with evidence.

3- And you cannot run for any office as a former minister/commissioner less than two years after leaving your job to run as an independent.

4- Governors should run election as the rep of their local constituents but as his state party elected leader before the election and should leave their seat six months before any new re-election

5- President only need to run to be elected in his or her constituents, then he is the leader of the majority party in the house who will be elected by the party before the election, he/she automatically becomes the president. So, no more presidential election, as tribalism makes it meaningless.

6- They should abolish the senate.

7- House of rep will become the fusion of executive/legislative and the president choosing his ministers from among his fellow elected rep members and governors the same, from among his colleagues as commissioners.

8- If a president or a governor failed to be elected in their constituent as their party leaders, like OBJ in 1999, their party's deputy leader will take their position as long as their party holds the majority in house.

9- If president/governor lost their party's leadership position, they will lose their positions as president/governor too but will remains as their constituent rep, like every other member until next election when they will run just to represent their constituent as a member.

maskid: i dey even suggest 3 parties... but for the avoidance of tribalism whereby each major ethnic group shares them. maybe 4 would be more appropriate.


rEMEMBER FIRST TO COMMENT!!!! FIRST TO COMMENT!!!!! YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! (continues the azonto dance)

For ya mind, abeg look well!!

i dnt see d fewer d better, I see "U hav no choice,so U better chose from this crimals"

even wit d 5,what wil hapen wil hapen as long as the old heads remain

5 Party system is not Bad for now. AS long AS the ones finally registered excludes PDP. We have suffered in their hand..

My question is ? How did he arrive at five ? Is that a magic number or somethin ?

DO we have five tribes in Nigeria or five states or what ? What's the basis for choosing the number 5

My question is ? How did he arrive at five ? Is that a magic number or somethin ?

DO we have five tribes in Nigeria or five states or what ? What's the basis for choosing the number 5

Good question but my take is that we should go back to a two-party system. We should operate and do things as a country and/or nation and not as ethnic groups.

.... It will be a recycling of our corrupt leaders and their cronies if the maximum number of political parties were limited to five. There will be no room for freshers to come in and no competition for the 'five gang'! We are too diverse a nation to be represented by a fixed number of political parties. The number of political parties should not be limited.

;DGood idea! It will make d competition more fierce and more fun for us cos we'll just sit down and watch dem kill eachother