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[FULL TEXT] Senator Melaye Writes Open Letter To Buhari On Failure To Assent Electoral Bill
1.0. I have tried so hard to make sense of the reasons given by you Mr. President for the rejection of the electoral bill but to no avail. Reminiscing on the electoral reforms you promised us Mr. President, I expected you to surprise us for once, to tell millions of Nigerians that you have our interest at heart but yet again, you failed us. Mr. President, you have made mockery of the electoral reforms you promised Nigerians and all effort to have a better election come 2023 has been truncated by your action. Mr. President, you have demonstrated once again that you are an enemy of democracy.
2.0. With due respect Mr. President, the reasons adduced by you for the rejection of the Electoral Amendment Bill is grossly misleading and preposterous. You said amongst others that there will be a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties as well as increase in the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC who has to deploy monitors across the wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts.
3.0. Interestingly and disingenuously Mr. President, you forgot your Party, All Progressives Congress (APC) adopted direct primary for the emergence of its presidential candidate in 2019 and you applauded the process as the best. Mr. President, being a beneficiary of direct primary and applauds you gave after the process, you should have known better, yet you denied Nigerians the benefit of same because of few egotistic individuals who do not mean well for Nigerians.
4.0. Mr. President, you also stated that conducting and monitoring primary elections across 8,809 wards will pose huge security challenges as the security agencies will be overstretched. And premised these on the fact that direct primaries will be open to participation from all and sundry and such large turn-out without effective security coordination will also engender intimidation and disruptions, thereby raising credibility issues for the outcomes of such elections.
5.0. Mr. President may I categorically state that only valid point you made above is that there will be an open participation by all and sundry and that is the beauty of democracy and what millions of Nigerians are advocating for, where People will turn-out to vote for their favourite candidate, to decide collectively the flag bearers of their respective political party and not by selected individuals known as delegates who can be bought over. You may also wish to know that direct primary election will raise political consciousness and satisfies the democratic principle by its openness and awards mass participation in political decision making of the country.
6.0. Secondly Mr. President, when the security architecture of our dear country is in order, we will not be talking of security challenges neither will the security agencies be overstretched. I also use this medium to inform you Mr. President that Nigeria in recent times has witnessed an unprecedented level of insecurity. I can boldly say that Nigeria is facing its major security nightmare lately. We can no longer sleep with our two eyes closed.
7.0. Mr. President you said that the proposed amendment may also give rise to plethora of litigations based on diverse grounds and issues of Law including but not limited to the fact that the proposed amendment cannot work in retrospect given that the existing constitution of the Parties already registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permits direct, indirect and the consensus primaries.
8.0. Mr. President, the above reason is indeed laughable, may I inform you that indirect primaries have caused more harm than good for our democracy. The number of litigation that is experienced after each party primary election is alarming. We have heard of parallel primaries elections as a resulted of indirect primary. I also wish to state that there won’t be need for litigation in a transparent direct primaries. A direct primary election that will be free and fair and allows everybody to participate. Mr. President, your Party has also experienced this and there was no litigation that arose from it.
9.0. Furthermore, the second limb that the proposed amendment cannot work in retrospect given that the existing constitution of the Parties already registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permits direct, indirect and the consensus primaries is grossly misleading. Mr. President, the Constitution, the Electoral Act and indeed INEC, are to regulate the activities of all political parties, including their various constitutions. Thus, the constitutions of all political parties are to conform to these laws and not the other way round. It is the political parties that will amend their constitutions to conform to the provisions of the Electoral Act. That being the case, the bill cannot be said to violate the constitution of the political parties.
10.0. Finally Mr. President, direct primary is in consonance with section 223 of the 1999 Constitution as amended which has imposed a duty on political parties to elect their officers through democratic elections. There is no provision in the Constitution for the imposition of candidates by money bags through indirect primaries, which represent what we practice today.
11.0. In conclusion Mr. President, I will end by reminding you that since you assumed office, you have withheld your assent to all amendments of the Electoral Act, even though you promised electoral reforms during your campaigns. You have retained all the manifest flaws bedeviling our electoral system, from which obviously you and your ruling party are benefiting to the detriment of our democratic advancement. Mr. President, having rejected to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill in 2018 and 2021, you have confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt that your administration will not allow the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct credible elections in 2023. I therefore crave your indulgence to have a rethink about the electoral bill and avoid the tragic legacy your action may cause to our dear Nation.
Thank you.
God Bless Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Signed
Sen. Dino Melaye.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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