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INEC proposes electoral law
amendment
� Recognises Etiebet as ANPP
chairman � May deregister parties
By Chuks
Ehirim,
Paul Mumeh and Adetutu
Folasade-Koyi (Abuja)
A raft of amendments to the
Electoral Act 2002 and INEC Act 1998
is being sought by the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) that would, among others, sanction parties for fraud and electoral
malpractices as well as deregister them where
necessary.
The bill on the proposal was
presented to the National Assembly on Wednesday by INEC Chairman Abel
Guobadia, a day it came to light that the commission still recognises Don
Etiebet as the National Chairman of the fractured All Nigeria Peoples
Party (ANPP).
The bill, presented to Senate President Adolphus Wabara,
also demanded a ceiling on the electoral expenses of parties and their
candidates.
This, Guobadia said, is
necessary in order to avoid a �cash and carry� approach to elective
positions.
And he requested the National
Assembly to expand INEC powers to introduce an enhanced technology voting
system.
The amendments, if approved,
will determine the level of party finances, registration and
deregistration or withdrawal of certificates.
Guobadia explained that
parties proposing mergers should give the commission 90 days� notice, with
the proposed name, acronym, constitution and manifesto signed by the
national chairman and secretary.
Receiving the document, Wabara
stressed that the amendments are timely to correct the shortcomings of
previous electoral laws.
He acknowledged the need for a
ceiling on electoral expenses to halt �a situation where wealthy but
incompetent persons occupy sensitive public
offices�.
The initiative to prune the
number of parties comes despite the welter opposition to
it.
The bill will make parties
lose their certificates of registration, especially after the 2007
elections.
Section 83(1) of it states
that �every political party, registered under this Act, shall sponsor
candidates to the states and National Assembly in at least 10 percent of
the total number of electable seats in all the elections in Nigeria, by
the Commission.
�Any political party that
contravenes the provision of this sub Section 83(1), shall have its
certificates of registration withdrawn by the
Commission�.
This issue was one of those
contended when the Electoral Act was being considered at the National
Assembly in 2002. When,
immediately after the 2003 elections, the INEC proposed its reform,
several parties, especially the fringe ones, vehemently opposed it.
The INEC will today meet at
its national headquarters, Abuja and one of the items on the agenda is the
bill.
What is not known is whether
it would require further inputs from the parties or direct them to channel
their views to the National Assembly.
It has held a meeting with its
state Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) where the issues discussed
included its 2004 budget, staff matters, modalities for the continuous
updating of the register of voters, the bill and activities planned for
2005.
Meanwhile, the disagreement in
the ANPP may soon end as both its Board of Trustees (BOT) and the INEC
have recognised Etiebet as the National Chairman.
A letter dated December 3,
signed by INEC Director (Secretariat and States� Co-ordination) E. A.
Johnson invited Etiebet as ANPP National Chairman to its meeting with
party leaders today.
It reads in part: �I have been
directed to invite you to a meeting with all political parties on
Thursday, 16 December, 2004 at the conference room of the
Commission�.
The INEC addressed a similar
letter to Jerry Useni as ANPP
Deputy National Chairman.
Both letters were forwarded to
the two men through acting BOT Chairman Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, who, in turn,
directed BOT Secretary Gambo Magaji to deliver them. He did so with a
covering letter to each, saying the INEC letter is �self
explanatory�.
Magaji had supported the Useni
faction and was one of the
prominent party members who was absent when its National Executive
Committee (NEC) met in Maiduguri three weeks ago.
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