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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), has advocated the scrapping of state electoral commission.
IPAC’s National Chairman, Yabaji Sani, who made the demands when the United Nations Electoral Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) Delegation paid a him a courtesy call yesterday in Abuja, also demanded the autonomy of the 774 local governments.
Yabaji maintained if the assistance is granted, democratic rule would be entrenched and good leaders will emerge.
Represented by IPAC’s National Secretary, Yusuf Dantalle, he said: “Primarily we are concerned with the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commission.
“So, we need you to send our message to the appropriate authority using their office to influence the lawmaking body in Nigeria to ensure we have an enabling environment for full participation of Nigerians in the electoral process.
“IPAC supports Local Government autonomy as the third tier of government closest to the people.
“To sustain the gains of the recent electoral reforms, IPAC will need the assistance of the UN Electoral Needs Assistance Mission in capacity building of political party leaders to equip us for transformational leadership and enhance parties’ internal recruitment process which will produce credible leaders with the people’s mandate to govern.
“To ensure active participation of the populace in the forthcoming elections, IPAC will embark on massive sensitization, advocacy, enlightenment and mobilization of the electorate at grassroots level across the country.
“This will require intensive { publicity which includes adverts on radio, television, newspapers and printing of fliers that will also be translated into various local languages to educate the masses on the need to actively participate in the elections and the danger of vote buying and selling that will mortgage their destinies if wrong people are voted into offices.
“Council will continue to engage leaders of political parties on the need for inclusive and participatory democracy by drastically reducing the cost of expression of interest and nomination fees for aspirants contesting various elective positions.
“A political party’s ticket should not be exclusively for the highest bidder.
“IPAC will also want the nation’s development partners to assist in the establishment of its African Democratic Institute (ADI) with the vision of creating a centre for training of politicians and administrative support structures of political parties. Security challenge in the country is a cause of concern to patriotic Nigerians.
“It will be an uphill task to conduct elections in areas affected by terrorism, insurgency and banditry.
“The nation will need assistance to crush all forms of terrorism and make Nigeria safe for both citizens and foreigners.”
In his response, Leader of the delegation Serge Gakwandi Kubwimana encouraged women and the youth to fully participate in the electoral process.
Kubwimana added that the UN would always assist African countries in strengthening electoral processes in order to deepen democracy.
“I subscribe to the objective of your organisation aiming critical, inclusive elections. That is also the reason why the UN has an interest in assisting countries that wish to strengthen their electoral processes.
“We are here as a mission in response to a request for electoral assistance by the INEC chairperson and even being to governmental organizations, elections being a high stake process and a matter of national sovereignty.
“We are bound to get permission to assess with relevant stakeholders, the government obviously the relevant institutions and other stakeholders, which as yourself civil society organizations and alike to assess the overall context in which the elections will take place.
“Again, these not are specific to Nigeria, the UN is moving close to 60 countries currently and then in doing so, so assessed the needs and the areas where the UN could best provide some type of support.
“The beauty of Nigeria is that you have institutional and acquired strong work experience.
“You have gone through several electoral processes. Of course, there’s always areas of improvement and for us, some of the issues we sort of look into, but not exclusively, pertains to inclusivity such as the participation of what I will refer to as a segment of the population which includes young women, young men, the next generation, and of course persons with disabilities.
“So that is one of the areas where we need to and where we would like also to, exchange and see what are your intentions again, you members, the various parts of that part of the organization, and obviously, anything that can contribute to a peaceful elections obviously, and how to preserve the gains that have been made over the last several electoral cycle and to identify those key areas where we can contribute, what are the key understanding that the relevant institutions and the various stakeholders, the political actors, members of organizations, have the need to have a key role in ensuring get an inclusive process, peaceful process and solid support.
“Let me end by saying this is even more true Nigeria, because of what the country presents in the sub region in Africa, but also in applications by virtue of the size of its economy by virtue of the steady path to democracy, that is true starting over 20 plus years ago, so that’s what we came to do and we felt we will miss if we will learn to stop by yourself. We have as I say many other
“Our assessment of the previous election is that of the Nigerian elections several challenges were noticed, but I think we first need to pay credit to the institutions that have had the difficult task of running elections.
“Look at the size of the electorate, looking at other factors, security and the likes, which are not the making of the Electoral Commission itself.
“I think we need to start from that, and perhaps compare it to one election after another.
“Some of the areas that were flagged by the Nigerian themselves had to do with the level of participation insecurity, lack of inclusivity, or at least there have been no significant progress in bringing on more young people. Women, people with disabilities, their progress, I think there’s a call for more.”
