Reps move to regulate Independent Authority, Registration, funding for political parties

…. Bill scale Second Reading in Reps

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed  a bill seeking to establish an independent authority for the registration, regulation, and funding of political parties in Nigeria .

The proposed legislation, co-sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Edo lawmaker Marcus Onobun, aims to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its current responsibility for overseeing political parties.

At Thursday’s plenary presided over by Speaker Abbas, the member representing Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency, Marcvus Onobun took his colleagues through the general principles of the bill, arguing that INEC should have no business regulating the activities of political parties.

“The call for transparency in the electoral process in Nigeria has continued to dominate public discourse in recent years. This is evidenced by the increased number of electoral disputes at all levels. All stakeholders in the electoral process are in tandem with the fact that no nation can elect credible leaders and experience good governance where the process of electing her leaders is marred by irregularities.

“People believe that election integrity depends on a free, fair, impartial and transparent process for registering political parties and for conducting elections,” he said.

According to him, “Many citizens have rightly or wrongly blamed INEC for election irregularities. Irrespective of the divide one may find himself, what is indisputable is the fact that our electoral process needs a surgical operation.

“In a country of over 200 million people, it is suggested that INEC is overwhelmed with the onerous task of registering political parties, regulating political parties, overseeing coalition and mergers while also conducting the presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

“To improve our electoral process and the management of political parties, it is desirous that we have a different authority that will be responsible for the registration and regulation of political parties’ activities.”