The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment by the National Assembly as anti-democratic and a betrayal of Nigerians.
Spokesman of the party, Ini Ememobong, made the assertion in
a statement on Wednesday.
Ememobong said the anti-democratic stance of the Senate and
the sudden somersault by the House of Representatives on the amendment of the
Electoral Act 2022, specifically on the mandatory electronic transmission of
election results from the polling units, is an act of treachery against the
Nigerian electorate.
According to him, the action of the National Assembly is a
huge betrayal of the collective trust of Nigerians, who unambiguously expressed
their overwhelming demand for the electronic transmission of results.
He added that the betrayal is most painful because it
strikes at the core of democracy – electoral sanctity.
The PDP spokesman further said that the shocking aspect of
the whole drama is the brazen manner in which the legislators acted. “They
clearly showed disdain for the Nigerian people who voted them into office by
openly challenging the supremacy of the voters.”
Ememobong stated that the excuses advanced by the lawmakers
are weak, illogical, and insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians.
“When lawmakers begin to dilute transparency mechanisms
ahead of elections, only one conclusion is rational: there is a calculated
attempt to create room for electoral manipulation.
“By this act, the National Assembly has violated the
foundation of legislative representation, which is anchored on mirroring the
wishes of the majority of their constituents.
“This is a painful betrayal, which the people will certainly
repay in equal, if not heavier measures. Furthermore, the restriction of party
primaries to Direct and Consensus methods constitutes a blatant intrusion into
the internal affairs of political parties.
“The Supreme Court has consistently affirmed that political
parties possess autonomy in managing their internal processes. This provision
is therefore ultra vires, and the attempt to constrict political parties is
condemnable.
“We call on all Nigerians, the organised labour and Civil
Society Organisations to use all lawful means to express their displeasure on
the anti-democratic actions of our National Assembly, in the hope that they
will reconsider their position. This hard-won democracy must not be allowed to
suffer decline in the hands of retrogressive politicians masking as
legislators,” the statement read.
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