Electoral Act will be amended for statutory delegates to participate in parties’ primaries, says Akpabio

Electoral Act will be amended for statutory delegates to participate in parties’ primaries, says Akpabio

 Senate President Godswill Akpabio has hinted that the
Electoral Act 2022 will be amended to include statutory delegates in political
parties’ primaries slated for next year ahead of the 2027 elections.

 

Akpabio spoke in Abuja on Monday during a meeting with the
leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

 

The senate president said the omission of statutory
delegates from primaries of political parties in the Electoral Act was a
mistake that must be corrected before the next general election.

 

“There were defects in the last Electoral Act that was
amended,” Akpabio said.

 

“So, we want to cure some of the defects that we found in
our electoral system. I can tell you one.

 

“Without any particular intention of the parliament, in the
2023 elections and the 2022 primaries, we inadvertently, created what I may
call super-delegates.

 

“Because all the statutory delegates, starting from the
president, the vice-president, the governors, deputy governors, the senate
president, deputy senate president, speaker, deputy speaker, members of
parliament, national, sub-national, chairman of councils, and all, were omitted
as delegates.

 

“These are areas that we think we can look at in order to
make our democracy more participatory. Because democracy is all about numbers.”

 

Akpabio noted that with the current Electoral Act, a
delegate is not welcome to the primaries, “unless you contested to be an ad hoc
delegate to select flag bearers of the legislative houses, governorship, and
then, of course, flag bearer of the presidential conventions in all the
political parties across the country”.

 

He said the senate will also look at the powers given to the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), “as the last arbiter as to
who decides who is a candidate and not the political parties”.

 

The senate president said political parties should have the
power to select candidates that will best serve their manifestos, “and have the
integrity to represent their people and have a track record of performance to
deliver the dividends of democracy to the people”.

 

Speaking earlier, Afam Osigwe, the NBA president, told
Akpabio that the national assembly should ensure judicial reforms in the
ongoing constitutional amendment.

Source: Electoral Act will be amended for statutory delegates to participate in parties’ primaries, says Akpabio

 - NigerianEye

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