•Nnamani panel approves independent candidacy for 2019 polls

By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi

The Senator Ken Nnamani’s Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee has recommended that  any member of the legislature who defects from his political party to another must lose his or her seat in the parliament.

This was one, out of the several recommendations contained in the report the committee submitted on Tuesday, in Abuja, to the Attorney -General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN).

The report included draft bills on the amendment of relevant provisions of the Constitution (as amended) and an amendment of the Electoral Act.

The committee also recommended that winners of elections in Nigeria must discharge with all pending legal matters before they are sworn into office.

As part of efforts to sanitise the political space, the 25- member committee also recommended the creation of a Political Parties and Electoral Offences Commission.

The Commission, when created, would regulate the works of the parties and also bring political actors to account for violation of electoral laws.

Other recommendations included the creation of Constituency Delimitation Centres which would address the issue of constituency delimitation.

The committee also recommended independent candidacy to expand the political space and also free candidates from the stranglehold of political parties.

Receiving the report, Malami said the committee’s recommendations would guide the Federal Government in preparing various proposals for a further amendment of the Constitution, to improve the electoral system in Nigeria.

He said the committee made recommendations on how to strengthen the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the participation of independent candidates in elections and management of political parties.

Malami further disclosed that the recommendation also dealt with the ”irritating issue” of electoral offences, management of electoral dispute resolution and specific legal provisions impacting on the electoral process.

The minister said that it was President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s goal to change the unethical way in which electoral officers had managed elections in the past.

He noted that government had taken steps to remove all electoral officers who collected money to frustrate the 2015 general election.

“So far, 200 INEC officials have been suspended while some are still under investigation and would be duly prosecuted.”

He assured that the committee that report and the draft amendment bills would be submitted to the president immediately for consideration and onward transmission to the National Assembly.

Submitting the report, committee Chairman, Senator Ken Nnamani said it has attached  four drafts bills as part of its report to quicken the amendment of relevant provisions of the Constitution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee was inaugurated on October 4, 2016, to review the Constitution and the Electoral Act, as part of government’s efforts to improve the country’s electoral process.Committee,” he said.

Malami  said he was directed by President Buhari to set up the committee in his desire to deepen the country’s democracy and entrench the culture of an enduring electoral system.

“It is important to evaluate our democratic journey thus far with a view to fashioning out a more enduring system that will serve present and future generations,” he said.

He said recent judicial decisions have shown that there was urgent need to scale up confidence in the electoral system in Nigeria.

Malami said the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Mahmoud, had decried the widespread distortion of binding judicial precedent with conflicting judgments.

He decried a situation where electoral officials were killed or kidnapped and where politicians make the environment for elections a war theatre.

Mr. Malami advised the committee to consult far and wide and in particular with the National Assembly and judiciary in order to make recommendations that would stand the test of time.

He expressed the hope that the committee would turn in a report which depth and quality would resound for years to come and would facilitate the re-engineering of the electoral practice.

Nnamani, said he was confident that Buhari would enhance democratic structures in Nigeria.

“The issue of inconclusive election in the country affects national election which leads to loss of lives and the best way to handle it is to stop inconclusive election.

“The best way to stop it in advance is to support the government in implementing what will make Nigeria have a non-violent  election.

Members of the committee are Oluwole Uzzi, O. O. Babalola, Mr. Duruaku Chima, Mrs. Musa Maryam, H.A Tahir, Ike Udunni, S.O Ibrahim, and Esther Uzoma,

Others include Muiz Banire, Eze Philip, Bashir Ibrahim, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Utum Eteng, Ejike Eze, Mamman Lawal, A.C Ude and E. Ifendu,

The remaining are Francis Bullen, Anike Nwoga, Cecilia Adams, Clement Nwankwo, C. Jude, Mohammed Tukur and Juliet Ibekaku.