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Lawmakers of the
Action Congress of Nigeria, in line with their party’s leadership, on
Thursday broke ranks with their colleagues over the ongoing amendment of
a section of the 2010 Electoral act to enable lawmakers become part of
the executive council of their parties.

The ACN lawmakers,
who said the amendment was self-serving, announced their position on
Thursday after a meeting with the party leadership in the National
Assembly complex, Abuja.

They said the
current amendment of the electoral act, which seeks to order all
political parties to have a National Executive Committee comprising all
the federal lawmakers, offends the Constitution and stifles the ability
of the parties to make their own constitutions and decide who attends
their executive committee meetings.

“Instead of the
feeble defence offered by its authors, that it will strengthen internal
democracy in the political parties; we say unequivocally that it can
only succeed in turning the parties to political zombies,” Usman Bugaje,
the party’s national secretary who represented the party chairman said.
“How can a zombie party thrive on internal democracy? This is a paradox
that is glaring to all except those behind the obnoxious misadventure.”
Mr Bugaje argued that prescribing uniform constitution for the parties,
with regards to the constitution of the party’s NEC, the conduct of
primaries and the other party guiding principles in the 2010 electoral
act, would limit the choice of which party Nigerians could opt for.

“This to us is like
prescribing one medicine for all ailments. This is wrong. It is not for
the National Assembly or INEC to tell all parties how to conduct their
primaries. Democracy cannot grow through such regimentation. We reject
it in its entirety,” Mr. Bugaje said.

Internal democracy

The PDP-led national
assembly, however, had argued that the various amendments in the 2010
electoral act will ensure internal democracy in the political parties.

“The talk about
internal democracy, as a reason for regulating party primaries, by the
PDP-led National Assembly, is a smokescreen, self-serving move. While
the PDP may have a reason for doing that – to satisfy a faction, we at
the ACN do not have such problems and should not be railroaded into one a
one-size-fits-all kind of arrangement. It is up to parties to determine
how their candidates will emerge,” Mr. Bugaje said.

The party criticised
almost every amendment in the electoral act, ranging from the
sequencing of elections to the proposed amendment which will make most
of the legislators member of their party’s NEC.

“We believe that the
ongoing attempt by federal lawmakers to gate crash into NECs of various
political parties is anti-democratic, self-serving and downright
unconstitutional. The national assembly as a whole whether senators or
House of Representatives fully associate ourselves with the position of
the party on this issue,” Mamora Olorunmibe, leader of ACN caucus in the
national assembly said.

Femi Gbajabiamila,
leader of ACN in the House of Representatives corroborated Mr. Mamora’s
stance. He also said some members are being victimized for opposing
contents of the proposed 2010 Electoral act amendment bill.