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With the 2011
general elections drawing closer, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has warned politicians against the
abuse of the power of incumbency.

Mr. Bankole spoke
through the House Chief Whip, Aminu Tambuwal, at the roundtable
conference on free and fair elections in Nigeria, organised by
Leadership Newspapers, in Abuja. He asked politicians to change their
“do-or-die” attitude towards elections, as it would not help Nigeria’s
democracy grow.

“There must be
transparency that checks the abuse and misuse of the power of
incumbency for extreme political advantage. Most importantly, there
must be attitudinal change by politicians and their followers.

“There is need for
a careful overhaul of our legal framework in order to ensure that it
does not allow lawless people to get away with impunity or allow all
sorts of tactical delays through legal technicalities,” the Speaker
cautioned.

Applying Uwais Report

The Speaker argued
that it is only when the wishes of the majority are respected and votes
of electorate are made to count, that they would accept the outcome of
any election organised in the country. He added that such a development
would also foreclose politically-motivated crisis and protracted legal
battles.

Mr. Bankole assured
that the National Assembly will adopt the salient aspects of the report
of the Electoral Reform Committee, headed by Justice Muhammadu Uwais,
with a view to fashioning an enduring electoral system for the country.

He added that the
electoral reforms that will be undertaken by the federal legislature
will broaden democratic participation and open up the electoral process
to greater transparency and credibility.

The Speaker said
that the legislature is concerned about the quality of the elections
Nigeria has had in the last eleven years, and expressed regret that
they have undermined the country’s reputation.

“The electoral
reforms are being fashioned to ensure that unwarranted executive, party
or electoral umpires influence in determining the final outcome of
ballot exercises, is decidedly stemmed.”

Blame the electorate too

Mr. Bankole said
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alone should not
be held responsible for the failure of the electoral process, adding
that the other stakeholders should also be blamed.

He said that the
nation’s quest for a credible electoral system cannot be achieved
through laws alone, but also a change in the general attitude of
Nigerians to the process.

“The National Assembly is sufficiently concerned about the quality
of elections we have had in the past. This is because democracies are
worth only little if the people do not vote, or votes do not count.
Free and fair elections, credible elections, are important because they
are the livewire of democracy.”