The public hearing on the bill seeking fresh amendments to the 2010 Electoral Act commenced in Abuja on Monday with protesters for and against the proposed law clashing at the National Assembly.
Law enforcement agents had to be called in to disperse the placard-carrying protesters, who struggled to gain access into the assembly complex.
One of the placards of the anti-bill group read, ”NASS, allow political parties to conduct their internal affairs.”
On the other hand, a pro-bill placard had the inscription, ”Our political parties have been taken hostage by a few. We need freedom.”
A clause in the controversial bill seeks to make federal lawmakers members of their parties National Executive Committees.
Before the public hearing, opposition political parties had kicked against the bill, saying it amounted to legislative rascality.
They had also argued that it was anti-democracy in both the country and in political parties.
But as the controversy raged, the National Assembly said it would go ahead with the public hearing. It gave an assurance that it would listen to the public in taking a final decision on the bill.
Expectedly, heated debate characterised the public hearing when it started in Abuja with Nigerians in their different groups, kicking against the proposed law.
The legislators, however, did not relent in justifying the controversial amendments to the Electoral Act.
Those who spoke against the bill, including the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, intermittently received thunderous applause. On the other hand, supporters of the bill received loud shouts of resentment from the participants.
Mr. Maxi Okwu, who led a number of political parties under the aegis of the Forum of National Chairmen of Political Parties, said the attempt by the National Assembly to make the parties uniform in structure was an “echo from military rule.”
He also said that it was the forum’s opinion that the move by the lawmakers to become a part of NECs of their parties, was untidy.
Okwu said that the forum recognised the wide-ranging powers of the National Assembly to make laws for the good governance of Nigeria. He, therefore, advised it to continue to do so without abusing the process.
He said, “We would however wish to caution the National Assembly not to consider for inclusion in the Electoral Act, any provision that seeks to make the structure, functions, goals and operation of political parties in Nigeria to be uniform.
“This is not a useful or desirable contribution to the deepening of a democratic system. By their very nature, political parties are supposed to be self-regulatory in view of their different ideologies and programmes, subject only to the constitution and other enabling laws.”
Nwodo, who presented the position of the PDP at the hearing, faulted the amendments to the Electoral Act.
“We don’t want to peg NEC as the highest decision making body of our party,” he said.
Nwodo said the number of National Assembly members in PDP NEC stood at 48, assuring that the party would, in future, find ways of increasing the number.
“We need to strike a balance, in order not to swallow up the elected members of NEC, who are 84. If we have a volume that swallows up the elected members of NEC, it will alter the balance,” the PDP chairman advised.
According to Nwodo, an overwhelming number of National Assembly members in the NEC will distort the structure of the party’s NEC and create even greater problems within the party.
He added, “I believe that the National Assembly owes Nigeria a patriotic duty. What we expect is the making of laws that will stand the test of time. Let’s make laws that will outlive us.”
Representative of Gender for Affirmative Action, Ms. Omowumi Asubiaro, said passing the bill would amount to excluding women and other vulnerable persons from the decision-making processs of political parties.
Arguing that out of the 469 members of the National Assembly, only 33 were women, Asubiaro noted that making lawmakers part of NECs of political parties would put women at a great disadvantage.
She called on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to make it possible for women to get an appreciable number of elective positions.
Ms Bisi Olagbeki of the Women Consortium of Nigeria, said that if the bill was allowed to sail through, it would negate the rights of women.
She said, “When we have NEC of political parties loaded with members of the National Assembly, with 434 men, it will be a systematic exclusion of women in the decision of those who would be elected as candidates.”
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Adeniyi Akintola, who made a personal presentation, drew the attention of the National Assembly to the fact laws should not be made to favour some people.
He argued that the controversial Section 87 should be treated to reinforce indirect primaries in political parties.
He said that such primaries should be conducted the same day across the country to reduce the problem of corruption and unnecessary horse trading.
Mr. Olawale Ogunoyi of the Constitution Reform Dialogue Mechanism, said that the Independent National Electoral Commission should be granted the powers to decide the order of elections.
President of the Senate, David Mark, had earlier set the stage for the fireworks when he declared the public hearing opened.
He said the amendments were largely misunderstood either by people who were ignorant or were out to create mischief.
Mark also said that his appeal for the electorate to return legislators to the National Assembly should not be misunderstood as canvassing for the right of first refusal for the federal lawmakers.
Supporting the bill, S. B. Fabunso of the Justice and Equity Group, said the amendments would help the parties operate a robust internal democracy.
He said his group believed in the supremacy of political parties, warning that any separation of the parties from elected legislators would hamper the development of democracy in Nigeria.
Some members of the Senate committees on INEC and Judiciary, also laboured to give credence to the amendment proposals.
One of them, Senator Ibrahim Ida, argued that having lawmakers in the NECs of political parties had no electoral benefits, but would only help the political parties to be more democratic.
He noted that the proposed amendments were chiefly in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Senator Dahiru Umar, said the power of the National Assembly to regulate political parties was provided for in the Exclusive Legislative list in the constitution.
The two sponsors of the bill in the House of Representatives — Mr. Cyril Maduabum and Mr. Igo Aguma — also made efforts to defend the bill.
“What we have in the parties today is the reign of tyranny. People belong to political parties but they are not given the opportunity to have a say on party policy,” Maduabum said.
Aguma held the view that the 1999 Constitution was superior to the constitution of any political party, ”which we all swore to uphold.”
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