Former President Goodluck Jonathan says the national
assembly shouldn’t make laws that “choke” political parties.
Jonathan spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the public
presentation of a book authored by Mohammed Wakil, former minister of state for
power.
The 2022 Electoral Act approved by President Muhammadu
Buhari does not permit statutory delegates to participate in the convention and
congresses of political parties. Statutory delegates form a major part of
voters at a party’s convention to elect a governorship or presidential
candidate.
A fortnight ago, the national assembly passed a bill to
correct the omission. While debating the bill, Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate
president and sponsor of the legislation, had said the error was “unintended”.
Buhari is however yet to sign the bill into law, forcing
political parties to rely on only elected delegates in their congresses.
Reacting to the development, Jonathan said political parties
are not government parastatals and should be allowed to decide what benefits
them.
“The national assembly made alterations to the electoral
law, and now only what they call the “elected delegates” are to elect people
that would vote. Then one day Nigerians will go to the polls and think they are
voting for a president,” he said.
“But who presented
presidential candidates for you? Very few people at the national level, at the
state level, at the local districts, at the federal and state constituencies.
“Give political parties the leverage. The key thing is that
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is regulating them,”
Jonathan said.
“They mentor them, and the system they will adopt in
selecting their candidates must be documented in their constitution and copies
deposited with INEC. That is what will be used to judge that party.
“Parties are not parastatals of government and the national
assembly cannot make laws that choke the political parties. That is my take on
this controversial issue.”
“We have former
governors, former deputy governors, former senators and all the rest. But then,
we have only one elected delegate that you don’t know where he is coming from.
“A delegate that will come to Abuja to select who becomes
the presidential candidate. Is that the kind of democracy we will practice? But
those of us who have been involved know that it is terrible. Are we bringing
those who really know who is who to elect these delegates or those delegates
that can be bought over with money?”
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