The National President of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), an umbrella comprising all registered political parties in the country, Yusuf Dantalle, has called for the scrapping of the state independent electoral commissions (SIECs) because it retards the growth of smaller political parties due to the enormous powers of the governors.
The parties also call for the restoration of the annual grant to political parties, as it was enshrined in the 1999 Constitution but later expunged.
He made this known while delivering a speech at a political summit organised by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) held at Arewa House in Kaduna on Thursday.
He noted that the state electoral bodies have no absolute independence as they rely on the dictates of their governors to operate.
Thus, making the parties weak, especially if you are not in the good book of the governor, he stressed.
“IPAC demands the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). The enormous powers and influence of state governors affect the independent status of these commissions nationwide. The charade called elections conducted by SIECs makes a mockery of the elections conducted by them.
The national chairman noted that it retarded the growth of political parties that are not in government despite having grassroots support.
He also said funds are required to build strong structures, saying that this explains why IPAC demands the restoration of annual grants to political parties earlier expunged from the 1999 constitution by the National Assembly.
Dantalle, who is the National Chairman of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), remarked that lPAC will continue to seek reform and integrity in the electoral process, saying, “If free and fair elections are conducted and every vote is counted and counted in the overall result, most political parties will win seats.
“That is why IPAC supports the adoption of BVAS and IReV and urges INEC to improve on these innovations that will guarantee transparency in elections.
“It is also why IPAC demands the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission to prosecute electoral offenders to serve as a deterrent to others who may consider such heinous crimes against the fatherland.
He also said the council calls for the autonomy of local governments in Nigeria as the third tier of government closest to the people.
“It is evident that politics is local. Citizens should be encouraged to participate actively in grassroots politics. It is one way of deepening democracy in Nigeria.
IPAC, he said, will present its comprehensive Constitution and Electoral Act Amendments proposal to the National Assembly for consideration and inclusion in the ongoing review of laws.
“It is hoped that political parties will emerge stronger and better after this submission as we jointly deepen democracy in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the summit chairman, Muhammad Lawal Nalado, said political parties are important tools in every democratic process because every politician must first identify himself with a registered political party to be able to seek election.
He said, “This summit is apt as it would give room for the political parties to discuss ways of making them stronger and more relevant.
Nalado also cleared the air that they’re not in Kaduna for any merger talks, as has been speculated, noting that we are here to discuss ways we can make parties stronger.
Earlier, National President of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chief Ralph Nwosu remarked that while they welcome multi-party democracy in the country, the parties are currently passing through a herculean task.
According to him, many political parties find it difficult to operate due to a lack of funds, office structures, and finance. Because of that, many political parties were deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“How do we strengthen these parties? How do we make them function? That was the reason we called for this summit,” he stressed.
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