Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has raised an alarm over the Senate planned passage of the electoral law amendment bill which it said was fraught with provisions that needed to be reviewed before its passage.
The party said the electoral amendment bill has raised money for election, thus making public offices available only to the highest bidder.
National Chairman, Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Falalu Bello, said this in a statement made available to the Tribune Online.
PRP argued that raising monies for the offices of the President, governors and senators and members of the state assemblies undermined the public offices and blocked others with innovation to occupy such public office where they do not have such deep pocket.
The party said: “In particular, PRP calls upon the National Assembly to as a matter of urgency review Section 50(2), remove the prohibition of electronic transmission of results and grant INEC the power to introduce a technologically robust and transparent electronic transmission of results so as to remarkably improve the integrity of Nigerian electoral process;
“Revisit Section 65, and grant INEC the legal power to appropriately review the results declared by any returning Officer under duress, and Revisit Section 88, and drastically reduce the campaign financing thresholds and limits, to curtail the influence of money in politics and create a level playing field for all contestants, without undue advantage being granted to the rich and wealthy contestants.
“For members of the National Assembly to truly answer the title of peoples’ representatives, they would need to bring into effect an Electoral Act that respects and represents the wishes of the Nigerian people, as articulated and expressed during the consultations and public hearings which were held.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PRP condemns any attempt by anybody or group of persons to hoist on Nigerians a so-called New Electoral Act, which would undermine rather than improve the integrity of elections in Nigeria.
Bello said Section 88 provides for an increase in the electoral fund for the offices of the presidential candidates who would be free to spend up to N15 billion. It was raised from N1 billion; a gubernatorial candidate could spend up to N 5 billion, this was raised from N200 million; a Senator is free to spend up to N1.5 billion from N40 million; a candidate for House of Representatives could spend up to N500 million raised from N30 million; and a candidate for State house of Assembly could spend up to N50 million, raised from N10 million.
The other review the party asked the national assembly to act on was section 52 which it said would prohibit the use of electronic transmission of results by INEC so that such transfer would be done for appropriate result outcome. According to PRP “all patriotic Nigerians, individually and in organised groups, should rise now and “bring pressure to bear on the members of the National Assembly to do the right thing, rather than rush a new Electoral Bill which would significantly undermine the integrity of future elections in Nigeria.”
The party believed that the national assembly has a responsibility to the Nigerian People which it must reason along with their aspiration for better legislation aimed at providing the nation with a credible election.
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