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The Conference of
Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday said the method adopted by
the House of Representatives in considering the report of its ad-hoc
committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution could endanger the
adoption of some of the core recommendations of the Electoral Reform
Committee (ERC) chaired by former Chief Justice, Muhammadu Uwais. The
group also said it is regretful that the Acting President, Goodluck
Jonathan is currently involved in the struggle for the soul of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) especially as his engagement could
derail the plan for genuine electoral reform in the country.

The group raised these concerns in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu.

According to the
statement which was released in Abuja, issues such as non-repair of the
electronic voting machine, lack of quorum and limited circulation of
the report of the House ad-hoc committee on constitution which have
been advanced by the legislators as reasons for the non -completion of
the review process are really tactical moves to ensure that members do
not vote for the recommendation that the National Judicial Council
shall publicly advertise for the chairman and national commissioners of
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The lower chamber,
had on Wednesday, resumed debate on the report of its ad-hoc committee
on constitution review. It, however, said it would only consider and
vote on the sections that have to do with the Electoral Act 2006 after
considering the general areas.

According to the
CNPP “The issue therefore in contention is the core recommendation that
mandates the National Judicial Council to publicly advertise for the
chairman and national commissioners of the Electoral Commission and
submit three names each to the National Council of States, which in
turn submits one each to the Senate.“ The CNPP accused the House of
flagrantly dashing the hopes of many Nigerians re-awakened by the
possibility of genuine electoral reform. According to the CNPP, reforms
create “ a win-win situation for those who want Peoples Democratic
Party {PDP} to rule for sixty years, those who are opposed to it, the
pro-rotation of presidency and anti-rotation, indeed a non-zero sum
game.” While insisting that electoral reform should be the first
amendment in the constitution, the CNPP said like most Nigerians, it
sees the Uwais Report as a guiding principle and article of faith in
any patriotic attempt to construct genuine electoral reform, especially
as it is the product of national consensus.

Genuine electoral reform

The coalition of
opposition parties reminded other groups in the country canvassing
genuine electoral reform to rise up and defend the Uwais Report, saying
those who frustrated the retreat of the National Assembly Joint
Committee on Constitution Review in Minna early last year are at work
again.

The group said, “We remind the Save Nigeria Group, Civil Society
Organisations, Labour Unions and all patriots that this is the defining
moment to once more defend the Uwais Report, our fledgling democracy
and save our dear country from dangerous slide into quasi-dictatorship;
for those who in January 2009 simulated the split of the National
Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Amendment in Minna, are still
at work as the parallel lines they carved out may never meet, before
2011 elections.”

Speaking on the internal strife within the ruling PDP, the group
said Mr Jonathan, who could avert the impending 2011 electoral
disaster, is deeply trapped in the intra-struggle for the soul of the
PDP, and has therefore abandoned the battle for genuine electoral
reform by refusing to submit as Executive Bills the three Electoral
Bills contained in the Uwais Report Under these circumstances, the CNPP
said, “we call on Save Nigeria Group, Civil Society Organisations,
Labour Unions and all patriots for Mass Action to save the Uwais Report
from danger list, in particular the insulation of whosever is the
president of the country from solely appointing the chairman and
commissioners, so as to construct a truly Independent National
Electoral Commission.”