Way out of Ekiti logjam — Yar'Adua    E-mail
Written by VANGUARD   
Sunday, 03 May 2009
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*Sends 7 bills to NASS
*Election riggers to get 10year ban

President Umaru Yar’Adua, reacting for the first time to the logjam created by the Ekiti State governorship rerun election, has proposed a two-pronged approach to resolve it.
First is what he terms “a quick resolution of this crisis” and the second, “speedy initiation of electoral reforms”

He has, accordingly, forwarded to the National Assembly seven political reform bills with a plea that they “be treated distinctly from the more holistic on-going constitutional reform process”.
The bills were essentially adopted from the recommendations of the Uwais Committee on Electoral Reforms.

The bills according to presidential spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, are:
* For an Act to Amend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Act Cap 15 LFN 2004 and other Matters connected thereto;

* For an Act to alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and for other Matters connected thereto;

* For an Act to establish the Electoral Offences Commission and for other related matters;

* For an Act to further Amend the Police Act 1967 Cap P19 2004 LFN and for Matters Connected Thereto;

* For an Act to establish the Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission and for other Matters Connected thereto; and

A Bill for an Act to Amend the Independent National Electoral Commission Act Cap 15 LFN 2004 and for other Matters Connected.

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President Umaru Yar'Adua
The President in separate letters to the Senate President, Chief David Mark and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, requested speedy passage of the bills in view of their “vital importance and in the larger national interest”.

The Bills, Mr. Adeniyi said in a statement entitled: “Between Ekiti Re-Run Election and Electoral Reform”, underscored the president’s “commitment to addressing the lapses and inadequacies which impinge on the quality and capability of the electoral process in our country so as to ensure that future elections meet acceptable international standards of fairness and transparency and restore integrity to the ballot box”.

Under the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution, for instance, there are provisions for independent candidature, prohibition of cross carpeting by elected office holders and funding of INEC as a first line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

Besides, it provides for additional sanctions for persons convicted of electoral offences by declaring such convicts unfit to stand for election for 10 years.

On the stalemate in the Ekiti rerun, said the way out was “a quick resolution of the crisis and speedy initiation of electoral reforms”, adding: “the problem with elections in Nigeria is largely systemic”.
He is said to be “not unmindful of the fact that most members of our political elite are not ready to play by the rules and that they see politics as a do-or-die affair”.

Mr. Adeniyi in the statement said:
“What President Yar’Adua has pledged from the onset, and has been steadfast about, is that the electoral process in Ekiti State would be fair and transparent and that the will of the people as expressed in the ballot box would prevail. There has been no deviation from that solemn commitment.
“Now that the Resident Electoral Commissioner has re-appeared, there are two urgent orders of business.

The first is to diffuse the growing tension in Ekiti State by ensuring that the REC concludes the process by announcing the genuine results that would satisfy her conscience and her God. And the second is to commence apace the process that will prevent a re-occurrence of the Ekiti saga by instituting a robust electoral system that can accommodate keen contestation for power, level the playing field, keep the actors in check, and vouchsafe free, fair and acceptable elections.

The President is committed to both tasks. We should give him a chance”.

The Uwais Electoral Reform Committee set up by President Yar’Adua submitted its report on the 11th of December 2008.

In submitting the report of the committee to the President, Justice Uwais, said some of the recommendations made by the committee would require constitutional amendments to ensure their implementation.

Highlights of the six volume report
*The committee recommended among others the creation of additional 108 seats in the House of Representatives and that the seats be contested on proportional representation basis.
•Independent candidacy;

•No carpet crossing under any circumstances;

•Biased media reporting to attract N1,000,000.00; (WHOOOOAAAAA - strangles)
•Open Secret Ballot retained;

•Number of parties to be drastically reduced;

•SIECs to go;

•INEC to be unbundled;

•Electronic voting to be introduced;

•INEC Chairman, Deputy to be of different gender;(what does this matter - strangles)

•INEC positions to be advertised;

•Electoral Offences Commission, Political Parties, etc Registration and Regulatory Commission coming;

•No office_holder in the party should hold any position in government;

*Number of parties to be drastically reduced

Individual donations’ ceiling:
•President    = N20 million;

•Governor    = N15 million;

•Senate        = N10 million;

•House of Reps = N5 million;

•State Houses = N2.5 million

*Chairmanship of local government = N3 million;

•Councillorship = N500,000.00.


On the occasion the president said the presentation of the report marked “the beginning of a process; it will ensure that we lay a solid foundation for sustainment and establishment and deepening  of democracy.

“We will carefully study and implement, with the support of the National Assembly, those recommendations that will guarantee popular participation, ensure fairness and justice and bring credibility to the electoral process in Nigeria .

He said his administration was fully “committed to the implementation of the recommendations that have been put forward by this committee.

“And I want to call on all Nigerians to take this report and the recommendations contained therein very seriously and take it as a matter of national duty to this generation and future generation to ensure that all stakeholders — the National Assembly, executive, state governments, local governments, agencies of government that are involved in election — to bring to bear on the implementation process of the recommendations of the report of the committee the same commitment and patriotism the committee has shown to the execution of this assignment.”

According to the President, the decision of his government to  focus on the electoral reform is based on its conviction that “election is at the heart of democracy, hence they must not only be fair but must also be seen to be so by our people and the rest of the world.

“In the modern age elections are very important institutional process of validation of public choices and the final enactment of social consensus on leadership and governors. It is not an over emphasis on our part therefore to state that the role of free and fair election is fundamental to any democracy and to ensuring justice, equity and the rule of law.

“It is our abiding belief that failure in instituting an acceptable process by which the representatives of the people are chosen will definitely resort in failure in the long run.

The 22 members of the panel
Hon Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, GCON, former Chief Justice of Nigeria. (Chairman)

Members
Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi, OFR, Retired Federal Permanent Secretary and Former Chief Electoral Officer of the Federation.

Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Member

Honourable Justice Godwin U Ononiba, former Chief Judge of Anambra State

Alhaji Musiliu Smith. CFR, Former Inspector General of Police

Mr Olisa Agbakoba. OON, SAN, FCIARB, former President, Nigerian Bar Association. (NBA)
Dr Sheik Ahmed Lemu. OON, OFR, former Grand Kahdi of Niger State.

Professor Attahiru M Jega. OFR, Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano.

Professor Grace Alele Williams. OFR, former Vice Chancellor of University of Benin.

Chief Mrs Toyin Olakunri. OFR, Former President, ICAN

Dr Jibrin Ibrahim

Professor Okon E Uya, FNAL, FHSN, FCPA, FABI, former Ambassador to Argentina

Professor Gambo Laraba Abdullahi.OON, former Minister of Women Affairs.

Mr Ndanusa O Alao. FNTE, MNIPR, MIIPR, MIICA, Managing Director, New Nigerian Newspapers.

Mr John E Odah, General Secretary, Nigerian Labour Congress.

Hajia Dije J Bala, former Permanent Secretary, Niger State

Major General Oladayo Popoola. (Rtd). OFR

Former Military Governor of Oyo and Ogun States.

Dr Steven Dike, Chairman, Advanced Management and Technology solutions.
Professor Abdulhmeed A Ujo, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Abuja and former Resident

Electoral Commissioner, Kaduna.

Mr Festus Okoye, National Publicity Secretary, NBA and Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group

Alhaji Aliu Umaru, former Secretary, Electoral Commission.

Msgr Mathew Hassan Kukah, former Secretary General, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.

Professor T Ahire, Director Political Affairs Office, Presidency. ( Secretary).




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