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The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has cautioned that a recent Bill introduced by the Senate seeking to establish an independent Local Government Electoral Commission, will harm the nation’s democracy.
NNPP described the proposed legislation as a sinister move to destroy democracy in the country, alleging that it was laden with fraudulent intent and purposes.
The Bill titled: “Local Government Independent Electoral Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2024 (SB. 531),” is sponsored by the chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), and has since passed the first reading stage in the Senate.
Responding to the development in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson Esq, the NNPP claimed that the Bill intended to establish the new body as an autonomous organisation mandated to organise, oversee, and conduct elections for the offices of local government area chairmen and councillors in all the states of the Federation.
Johnson said it was inconceivable that such a Bill was being proposed as a platform to conduct local government elections in the country.
He observed that the conception of the piece of legislation would make the body a federal agency and would rob it of any iota of integrity to serve the envisaged purpose.
According to him, arrogating federal powers to such an agency can only compound an already chaotic and crisis-prone election process, adding that it would never serve any good purpose but rather destroy whatever was left of the nation’s beleaguered democracy.
“It is unfortunate that we continue to see plans and actions by some politicians which are obviously tailored towards some specific negative objective.
“The bill by the Senate to create an autonomous federal agency to conduct local government elections in the country is clearly a dangerous move. It won’t serve the intended purpose but will totally kill democracy in the country because it is prone to abuse and will certainly be abused by the federal authority.
“The very negative perception of INEC based on recurring criticisms of its records in the conduct of elections over time, and especially the overwhelming public opinion about the conduct of the general election and the recent one in the Edo State governorship election, does not support the idea of such a federal agency and should be jettisoned.
“This is why Nigerians must rise against this bill from being passed into law. The protest against this bill is urgent and must be championed by all opposition parties. It can only further serve as a major encumbrance to democracy because it is prone to naked abuse by federal powers. Anything their infectious fingers touch becomes corrosive,” he stated.
The NNPP Publicity Secretary further noted that the problem with elections in the country was institutional as the process was usually tainted with fraudulent practices and as such, did not warrant new agencies but a change in attitude by operators of the system, by applying the electoral laws strictly and defending democracy at all times.
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