INEC AND POLITICAL PARTY STRUCTURES IN NIGERIA - A WAY FORWARD. Introduction Elections in Nigeria have been marred with claims and counter-claims of frauds and irregularities. We can not continue in this line and expect any miracle from the elected leaders on good governance. If good governance forms the basis of election anywhere in the world, then electoral conducts must be accorded with serious attention especially by INEC as a body, and politicians, as well as the electorates in general. This paper seeks to reorganize the political parties in Nigeria towards better electoral conducts and increased political awareness of the electorates for the purpose of good governance towards the amelioration of human condition in Nigeria. It intends to proffer easy means of engaging Internet Telecommunications for the conduct of INECs elections. Advanced democracies should be understudied for possible adoption (wholly or partly) in our electoral system where necessary. To a large extent, this paper suggests a move from fraudulent electoral system to excellent electoral conducts. To this effect, I suggest that we should carefully understudy how elections are conducted in the advanced democracies and apply it hook line and sinker into our electoral body politics (where necessary) not minding whose ox is gored. I also suggest that the entire political parties in Nigeria registered with INEC should be classified into two : 1. INEC Registered Political Parties. 2. INEC Registered Political Pressure Groups. INEC Registered Political Parties. The INEC Registered Political Parties are by all means qualified to stand for elections in every political contest in any part of the country. There is no restriction on election contest just as we operate presently. The INEC Registered Political Parties in Nigeria must not exceed SIX in number in order to improve INCs operational efficiency and create an improved voters awareness. Any of the INEC Registered Pressure Groups is free to join and exit any of the INEC Registered Political Parties at any given time for specific reasons highlighted by, and assented to by INEC. To this effect, OPTION A4 which was practiced in 1993 election that brought about the only electoral event in Nigeria adjudged to be the freest as well as the fairest election ever conducted in Nigeria so far can be re-experimented once again even in 2015. It is less expensive, less cumbersome, and very open. INEC Registered Political Pressure Groups. The second category should be named as stated above and be allowed to operate only as INEC Registered Political Pressure Groups. The opinions of these pressure groups should count. The Pressure Groups are to mould the policy of governance. They are to influence the people or the government on policy issues. Act as checks where necessary and monitor every political party manifestoes in ensuring compliance. Every elected politician who for whatever reason fails in the discharge of his sworn duty should be reported to INEC for trial and possible withdrawal of his Election Certificate of Service. INEC should wake up from slumber ! INEC should be able to withdraw the Certificate they earlier issued to any failed elected leader. Elected officials should be monitored to comply with their submitted manifestoes or have their respective certificate of return withdrawn from them accordingly. Most of the Political Parties presently registered in Nigeria by INEC are only qualified as Pressure Groups and NOT Political Parties. Some of them are only seeking unwarranted attention. They should be free to join the INEC Registered Political Parties or fizzle out of relevance. If we are not careful, we shall soon have more than 1000 Political Parties in Nigeria. Honestly speaking without gain saying, Nigeria does not need more than SIX Political Parties for elections at any or every level in order to ensure an improved production efficacy of INEC ie Independent National Electoral Commission. ELECTIONS Before elections are conducted, INEC must ensure that every of the Registered Political Parties submit their respective manifestoes which must be strictly adhered to, if elected, since their basis of elections will only be on the platform of their submitted and approved manifestoes. The election result should be collated by every party in attendance and announced locally at every ward by the INEC Returning Officer. In this case, every Polling Booth must have an INEC Returning Officer who must be either a serving Professor or a Doctor of Letters in any of our Universities; a renowned lawyer of SAN status; or a renowned professional in any chosen career. Under no circumstance must any known or confirmed practicing politician be appointed to serve as INEC Returning Officer at any Polling Booth in Nigeria. Since it is a temporary appointment, the Returning Officers must be well remunerated in the equivalence of a serving Professors monthly salary for this task. This will remove to a large extent any issue of bribery or monetary intimidation of any kind. They have a lot to gain with regards to their reputations and respective professions, but a lot to loose if they are found wanting in any regard concerning the delineated task. The INEC Returning Officers must publicly announce the total votes cast in their respective polling booth under a public camera in the presence of everyone at the same Polling Booth. Certification of election results should be carried out at the Polling Booths by all the Registered Political Parties in the presence of everyone and recorded for live or subsequent television coverage. Any Political Party Official who refused to certify or endorse the election result in his/her Polling Booth should be immediately arrested by the Security Agents as aiding or abetting electoral malpractices in order to truncate democracy. Such a person should be charged to the law courts accordingly and jailed for a period not less than FIVE YEARS. INEC should propose this to the National Assembly as a matter of urgency. To this effect, every concerned body including the Political Parties, International Election Monitoring Personnels /Agencies, and the members of the Public will have the results even before INECs announcement. The announcement by INEC confirms the authenticity of the election results accordingly. MODUS OPERANDI 1. INEC should set up a secured website for posting election results. 2. Every Returning Officer must have a PIN ie Personal Identification Number mainly for the purpose of posting election results online on INECs website. 3. The only authentic election result is as posted by INEC on their website. All the Returning Officers names must be boldly written against the published election results respectively. 4. Collated results at the ward level must be published by the Ward Returning Officer. His additions must be certified by all the Polling Booth Returning Officers. 5. Collated results at the Local Government level must be published by the Local Government Returning Officer. His additions must be certified by all the Ward Returning Officers. 6. Collated results at the State level must be published by the State Returning Officer. His additions must be certified by all the Local Government Returning Officers. 7. Collated results from all the States of the Federation must be published by the Chairman of INEC as the Chief Returning Officer of the Federation. His additions must be certified by all the State Returning Officers including the Federal Capital Territory. 8. Collations of results at every level beginning from the Polling Booths must be done in public under video coverage. Anyone should be free to record the process and publish. Meanwhile, the only authentic result will be as announced by INEC Retuning Officers accordingly. 9. The State Security Service must upgrade their Intelligence gathering through I.T. ie Internet Telecommunications. This is to nab whosoever publishes any fake result from any given Polling Unit, Ward, State, or Federal. When such people are apprehended and jailed for FIVE YEARS in prison, no one will for any reason attempt such nefarious act in future. Their sponsors should as well be investigated and punished accordingly. 10. Deployment of Security Apparatus should still be sustained by INEC in every election until such a time when our political maturity as consequently exhibited in our political sagacity commensurates with the expectations of an advanced political culture as obtainable in other developed democracies. Pressures may come from any part of the political class not excluding the government, as well as the ruling political party at any level, however, my candid words for INEC on this issue is - INEC ! Stick to your guns. God bless Nigeria ! Olusegun Babatunde Bamgbade Chairman H.O.B. Housing Estates
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 09:57:32 +0000
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