Although Nigeria has made tremendous progress since her return to democracy in 1999, the electoral system still faces significant challenges, and must be reformed to better reflect the will of the people and the principles of justice, accountability and inclusion if the nation is truly committed to democracy, former President Goodluck Jonathan said on Wednesday.
To deepen democracy, Jonathan suggested the establishment of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties to address the growing crisis of political party indiscipline because parties are the foundation of any democracy.
Other suggestions include reforming the process for the appointment of the national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commisson (INEC) through independent screening and nomination mechanism, comprising representatives from the judiciary, civil society, academia, and professional bodies and ensuring that all post-election disputes are resolved before swearing-in of the President and Governors.
Jonathan represented by the Executive Director of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ms Ann Iyonu, canvassed the views during a crucial dialogue and launching of the National Action Plan for Electoral Reform in Nigeria organised by the Executive Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi.
Jonathan commanded Amadi saying the work he is doing is not only critical for the health of the nation’s political system, but also a patriotic service to Nigeria and future generations.
He said, “Nigeria has made notable progress since our return to democratic rule, but we must acknowledge that our electoral system still faces significant challenges. If we are truly committed to democracy, we must be bold enough to reform the process to better reflect the will of the people and the principles of justice, accountability, and inclusion.
“Without prejudice to what is contained in your report, I wish to put forward some ideas, I believe, can help deepen our democratic processes and safeguard the legitimacy of our elections.
“First, we must address the growing crisis of political party indiscipline. Parties are the foundation of any democracy, but in our context, they have become vulnerable to opportunism and instability.
“We have seen a disturbing rise in the practice of cross-carpeting, elected officials defecting from the parties under which they were elected, often without ideological justification or accountability to the electorate.
“To remedy this, we should strongly consider the establishment of an independent Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, charged with regulating party operations, promoting internal democracy, and enforcing party discipline.
“This is a proposal I had put forward on another occasion, but I believe it is good to re-emphasise it at a forum like this. During my assignment as an election observer in the last decade, I have seen this work effectively in some countries including Kenya and Malawi.
“Crucially, the office should have the power to declare the seat of any defector vacant. This reform would affirm the principle that the electoral mandate belongs to the people and not to individual ambition.”
