Avoid Nationalising Political Parties in Electoral Act Amendments Bill, Govt Told

The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, Emugoriade 1 has urged the federal government to avoid the nationalisation of political parties in the Electoral Act Amendments Bill that is awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari. The monarch stated during the 2021 International Security Conference organised by the Institute of Security, Nigeria.

The two-day conference with the theme, “Enhancing Integrity and Security Solutions to Election Threats and Political Violence in Democratic Environment” took place at the University of Lagos recently.

The royal father noted that the conference is a good precursor to the 2023 elections and it is expected that the outcome of the conference will go a long way in curbing electoral corruption, violence, and other unwholesome practices that are renowned with the electioneering process in Nigeria.

According to Oba Kasali, “factors responsible for fraudulent and violent elections include- bad officials directly or indirectly engaged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the partisan position of security agencies during electioneering period; monetization of electoral processes; bad reportage by the media before and after elections and the non-provision of a fair playing ground for those seeking electoral offices.”

While speaking on the legal implications of the Electoral Act Amendments Bill, the royal father and barrister expounded that direct primaries should not be mandated for elective positions across all political parties in the country. In his words, “it is a systematic way of empowering a few members of the political party to become power brokers before whom the aspirants take a bow. It is an enormous privilege to reward a few loyal party members and this system is prone to abuse by the moneybags.”

“Political parties are not government agencies but private associations with their own rules and governance systems, clearly known to members. The adoption, rejection, and amendment of rules are sine-qua-non for political parties. Lawmakers should not infantilize political party members in the guise of promoting internal democracy,” he said.

In his welcome address, the Director-General of the Institute of Security, Nigeria, Mr. Adebayo Akinade said: “The Institute will continue to open up various channels for the expansion of the field of knowledge and the resource pool of the security and protection professionals in the public and private sector in the country.”

Akinade added: “The institute is in partnership with the Human Resources Development Board (HRBD) and UNILAG Consult, the University of Lagos for Professional Diploma and Specialist Certification programmes. Also, the Senate of the University of Lagos has approved the Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Science and Criminal Intelligence in collaboration with the Distance Learning Institute. While a Master’s Degree is being run in the Department of Psychology of the institution”

The director-general opined that there is a need to search for solutions to immediate and remote causes of electoral violence, political crimes, and other breakdowns in the social fabric of the society. As this will, in turn, aid the development of policies which will help correct the anomalies.”