Convener of The Alternative, Segun Showunmi, has called for the amendments of Nigeria’s electoral and party governance framework in order to fortify political parties, deter opportunistic defections, and deepen ideological accountability.
Showunmi, acknowledging that the constitution serves as a
protection of fundamental rights for all citizens, stressed the need to
identify areas that require improvement in order to improve governance,
maximize accountability, and advance inclusive development.
He insisted that anyone seeking elective office must have
been a registered member of a political party for at least four years before an
election, in order to prevent political tourists and ensure that candidates are
ideologically driven and aligned with their respective parties.
The PDP chieftain opined that any elected official who
defects from his party, should be made to lose their seat and barred from
contesting under another party for at least four years.
He stated this in a policy paper titled “Strengthening
Political Parties as Pillars of Democracy” signed and made available to DAILY
POST on Friday.
The policy, according to him, will significantly reduce
factionalism, promote coherent policy implementation, making elected officials
answerable to party manifestos rather than personal, self-serving interests.
The paper reads in part, “The proposed policy seeks to
address gaps, ambiguities, and antiquated provisions while reinforcing
democratic principles, the rule of law, and the separation of powers.
“The overarching proposed amendments to Sections 65(2)(b), 106(d),
131(c), and 177(c) of the Nigerian Constitution are meticulously designed to
ensure that candidates vying for legislative and executive offices are
rigorously vetted by their political parties in alignment with a system where
parties, not “strongmen,” drive national development.
“Candidates running for elective public offices must: Be
registered members of their political party for a minimum of four years
preceding the election. Be officially sponsored by their party, subject to
internal democratic processes.
“This justifies the prevention of political tourists and
ensures candidates are ideologically driven and aligned with their respective
parties.
“Any elected official who defects from their sponsoring
party shall forfeit their seat, thereby triggering a by-election to fill the
vacancy. Defectors shall be barred from contesting under another party for a
minimum of one electoral cycle (four years).
“The objective is to replace personality-driven politics
with party-based governance, ensuring candidates are accountable to their
parties’ ideologies and manifestos. Mandate a four-year party membership and
sponsorship requirement for eligibility, thereby discouraging defections for
personal gain”.
Meanwhile, he asked the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to use centralized biometric databases to verify party
membership duration, enforce penalties for non-compliance (disqualification)
and launch nationwide campaigns to educate voters on party ideologies over
personality hijacking.
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