Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has faulted the House of Representatives’ bill seeking the establishment of the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission (PPRRC), which aims to register, regulate, and monitor the organisation and operation of political parties in Nigeria.
Although the ex-Vice President lauded the initiative to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the powers to register and regulate the activities of political parties, he warned of the financial implications of creating another public institution, given the economic realities of the time.
The bill was co-sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and the member representing Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency, Edo State, Mr Marcus Onobun.
Findings by The PUNCH revealed that the bill currently before the House Committee on Constitution Review, seeks to alter Sections 40, 81, 84,153, 222, 225, 226, 228 and the Third Schedule of the Constitution to establish the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission and empower it to register, regulate and monitor political parties in the country.
According to the explanatory memorandum, this will ‘Reduce the burden on INEC and also allows the PPRRC to focus squarely on regulating and registration, dissolution and monitoring of the operation, finances, internal democracy, primaries and general conduct of political parties in Nigeria to ensure order, transparency and a level playing field’.
Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Tuesday, Atiku noted that INEC, as currently constituted, is saddled with too many responsibilities, so much that its capacity to deliver on the primary mandate of conducting free, credible and transparent elections has been called into question in the past few years.
The former Vice President, who spoke through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said, ‘INEC is biting more than it can chew. Some of the tasks it is saddled with give room for a lot of distraction. As good as it is to relieve the umpire of these tasks, the way to go is not to establish another commission. Instead of creating another commission, agencies like the National Identity Management Commission can be empowered to register and monitor the activities of political parties’.
He noted that the INEC Nigeria needs a well-structured agency to deliver on the mandate for which it was established.
‘Nigeria needs a well-structured INEC that is efficient in service delivery. We don’t need to establish another commission to replicate functions that can be performed by already existing institutions’, he added.
Speaking through the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Tanko Yunusa, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, faulted the planned amendment of the bill, noting that the registration of political parties remains one of the primary duties of INEC.
Yunusa said, ‘What we advocated based on Justice Muhammed Uwais Report was an Electoral Monitoring Committee, which will deal with elections and an Enforcement Commission, which will enforce laws on credible elections. The third one is the Delineation Commission.
‘You cannot strip INEC completely of the powers to register and regulate political parties; that is one of its primary roles. The Constitution Review Committee should have concentrated on the Enforcement Commission, which will deal with the issues of electoral malfeasance. This will take care of electoral malpractices. INEC can be relieved of this role to enable it to concentrate on election conduct and parties’ registration’.
Also speaking, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, told The PUNCH that making new laws is not the solution to the nation’s electoral challenges.
‘From our experience, we seem to like making laws we won’t obey and creating multiple organisations to do what one can do in the hope that the laws or the institutions are the problem, without accepting that we, the people, are the challenge’, Sowunmi said.
APC chieftain, LP, YPP, others back proposed legislation
Meanwhile, the Director of Publicity of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bala Ibrahim, has described the plan to strip INEC of its powers to register political parties as a step in the right direction.
In a telephone interview with The PUNCH, Ibrahim said if successful, the proposed amendment ‘Will make the registration and dissolution of political parties easier. Political parties are supposed to be registered based on certain requirements. If they meet those requirements, the registration ought to be automatic or fast-tracked in a manner that would make democracy more vibrant.
‘When you subject the registration of political parties to very complex procedures and you give that responsibility to a commission that is overburdened, you complicate the issues. By relieving INEC of the powers of registration and deregistration of political parties, you have reduced the burden on them, and you have made it easier for them to concentrate on overseeing election management’.
This viewpoint was shared by the Labour Party (LP) through its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiorah Ifoh.
Speaking with The PUNCH, the LP publicity scribe said, ‘It is high time INEC is unbundled, and we believe it will help in cleaning the mess that the commission has become of late. Under Prof Mahmood Yakubu, INEC has become so lawless and larger than life with a hedge of protection, so much so that it flouts every possible rule without any consequences whatsoever.
‘Any amendment to the Constitution, including excising the powers of INEC to register, deregister and regulate political parties to enable the commission to concentrate on conducting elections will, of course, help the growth of our democracy’.
Joining the conversation is the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement in Africa, which, though backing the review of the constitution, called for INEC to be made to operate on a part-time basis to reduce the cost of running it.
In a separate interview with The PUNCH, the Executive Director, YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo said, ‘This (proposed creation of PPRRC) is a welcome development. We have advocated this time and again, and YIAGA Africa is glad to see the House take bold steps to unbundling INEC, which is currently overwhelmed with numerous responsibilities.
‘The commission needs to be liberated from the burdensome responsibilities vested in it. The proposal aligns with the late Justice Uwais’ recommendations, and it will free the Commission from political pressures and unnecessary controversies.
‘However, the Commission should operate on a part-time, not full-time, basis to reduce the financial burden on the nation’s lean resources’.
In his words, the Coalition of United Political Parties pledged its support for the bill, saying, ‘This proposed legislation aligns with long-standing recommendations from various electoral review committees, including the 2008 Justice Mohammed Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee.
‘The ERC previously stated that INEC is overburdened with tasks such as party registration, monitoring, and financial oversight, which detracts from its primary focus on managing the electoral process. The creation of the PPRRC would allow INEC to concentrate on conducting elections more effectively, in line with international best practices for electoral management bodies.
‘By establishing the PPRRC, the amendment seeks to streamline Nigeria’s electoral framework, enabling INEC to operate with greater efficiency and fewer distractions. The commission would handle tasks such as registering political parties, monitoring their operations, auditing their finances, and regulating their campaigns, as outlined in prior reform proposals. This move is a critical step toward enhancing the credibility and transparency of Nigeria’s electoral system’, he added.
Equally impressed with the bill is the Young Progressives Party (YPP), whose National Publicity Secretary, Wale Egbeola-Martins, welcomed the proposal to relieve INEC of some of its powers.
According to the image maker, ‘YPP considers this bill a forward-thinking step toward strengthening Nigeria’s democratic architecture and enhancing the effectiveness of our electoral system.
‘Over the years, INEC has been saddled with an enormous volume of responsibilities, ranging from conducting elections and voter registration to supervising political parties and handling pre- and post-election matters. This overstretch has often led to administrative bottlenecks and performance limitations. Creating a dedicated commission to oversee the registration and regulation of political parties will allow INEC to focus more efficiently on its core mandate of managing elections.
‘However, we emphasise that the success of this reform lies in ensuring the independence, neutrality, and professionalism of the proposed Commission. Its legal framework must be watertight, and its leadership should be composed of credible, non-partisan individuals with proven integrity’, he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress were unsuccessful as the spokespersons of the two parties, Debo Ologunagba and Bolaji Abdullahi, respectively, neither picked up their calls nor responded to messages sent to their mobile phones.
