Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has stated that the House of Representatives
would resist any further attempt to frustrate the enactment of the Electoral
Act Amendment Bill.
He said the failure to do so
would be indicative of a desire not to improve on the successes recorded in the
2015 elections.
Delivering a speech to mark the
resumption of the House from its annual recess at the National Assembly, Hon
Dogara said the passage of the Bill was also important in order to quell fears
that some forces intend to manipulate the forthcoming elections by exploiting
identified loopholes in the Electoral Act currently in force.
He explained that the new
Electoral Act amendment Bill has provisions that are designed to guarantee
free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria, entrenches the Smart Card
Reader and electronic transmission of results, among others.
In a statement made available by Turaki Hassan, his media aide, the Speaker also added that the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Supplementary budget Bill must
also be accorded expeditious consideration.
“As we settle down to business,
let me reiterate that the INEC Supplementary budget Bill must be accorded
expeditious consideration. Furthermore, the pending issue of the Electoral Act
Amendment Bill, which was unfortunately vetoed by Mr President, must also be
expeditiously considered and passed.
“The new Electoral Act amendment
Bill has provisions that are designed to guarantee free, fair and transparent
elections in Nigeria. The amendment Bill entrenches the Smart Card Reader and
electronic transmission of results among others.
“Any further attempt to frustrate
the passing into law of the Bill, will be indicative of our desire not to
improve on the successes of the 2015 general elections further fueling the
fears that some including our international partners have about some forces who
intend to manipulate the forthcoming elections by exploiting identified
loopholes in the Electoral Act currently in force,” he added.
The speaker said the August 8th
assault on the institution of the National Assembly by masked personnel of the
Department of State Services, DSS, the third by security agencies working in
concert with anti-democratic elements in quick succession, was a rude reminder
to all that, “our democracy is still very fragile and therefore we should never
go to sleep believing that the work of democracy is done and that progress is
inevitable.”
Furthermore, he thanked vigilant
NASS members, who at great risks, confronted these heavily armed; masked and
hooded fascist agents, the Press, Civil Society Organisations, the generality
of Nigerians and the international community for rising to the occasion as
living heroes of our democracy.
He also commended the then Acting
President, His Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN who swiftly took
disciplinary action against some of the perpetrators of these seditious and
subversive action and called on the executive to ensure that all other
assessors, before or after the fact of this treasonable act, must be quickly
brought to book; as the then DG, SSS could never have acted alone.
Charging his colleagues to be
steadfast in their fight to protect democracy, Hon Dogara reminded them that
their loyalty must be in tandem with their oath of office to the nation and not
to any individual or sectional cause or interest.
He said, “The goal of some people
who are working to enthrone tyranny and despotism is to harass, intimidate and
ridicule this great institution of the people to the point that we are forced
to abdicate our responsibilities and fidelity to our oath of office.
“It’s a pity that these elements
know nothing about the character of this great Institution and the fact that
our devotion to the rule of law far surpasses our love and admiration for any
individual or group of persons. If this was not the case, third term would have
succeeded and the motion on the doctrine of necessity would have failed.
“We cannot drift, in our own
time, from the path of honour and courage that has been the hallmark of this
hallowed Chambers. As patriots, we owe it a duty to patriotically support the
patriotic even if they are our foes and to patriotically oppose or defeat the
unpatriotic even if they are our best friends.”
While commending all members of
committees who sat during the recess, he specifically thanked the Joint
Committee on INEC for the patriotism, sacrifice and commitment they put into
the work on the INEC Supplementary Budget for the 2019 general elections, he
urged his colleagues not to lose sight of the fact that they still have much
business to do.
He said, “I urge us not to be so
absorbed by the politics of 2019 as to allow our Legislative duties to suffer.
We must utilise the available time judiciously to serve the country and our
people to the best of our ability. Having started strong with groundbreaking
and record-setting achievements, we will be on the wrong side of history if we
fail to finish as strongly as we started. It is said that the end of a matter
is better than the beginning thereof.”
The speaker, who congratulated
all members who won their primary elections, wished those whose elections may
still be in process a favourable conclusion and pledged assistance for others
who are said to have lost their nominations in circumstances which remain
contentious so that they get fair opportunities as they have all made
tremendous sacrifices and it is only fair that they are rewarded.
“The leadership is aware of the
impunity that characterised the conduct of some primaries in which some of our
members allegedly lost the ticket to contest in the next election. We have done
our best to ensure internal democracy within parties but it appears parties
prefer to pander to the whims and caprices of some individuals rather than the
law.
“May I reiterate the warning of
Kekere-Ekun, JSC in MATO V. HEMBER & 2 ORS (2018) 5 NWLR (PT. 1612) 258 at
pages 297-298 PARAGRAPHS C-B,” he stated, adding that, “It is a pity that the
2018 primaries will throw up more pre-election cases than ever before witnessed
in Nigeria due to display of impunity by parties in the conduct of primaries across
board.”
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