Whither Nnamani Electoral Reform Committee ?
About six weeks after its inauguration, the Senator Ken Nnamani-led Electoral and Constitution Reform Committee, appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in October, is expected to wind up its assignment. Checks by Daily Trust on Sunday, however, indicate
About six weeks after its inauguration, the Senator Ken Nnamani-led Electoral and Constitution Reform Committee, appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in October, is expected to wind up its assignment. Checks by Daily Trust on Sunday, however, indicate that the committee may exceed the eight weeks it was given to complete its assignment.
When the federal government announced the formation of an electoral and constitution reforms Committee to be headed by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, not a few Nigerians criticised the decision to inaugurate another committee on the subject matter.
Members of the committee are Oluwole Uzzi; O. O. Babalola; Duruaku Chima; Mrs. Musa Maryam; H.A Tahir; Ike Udunni; S.O Ibrahim; Esther Uzoma. Others are Muiz Banire; Eze Philip; Bashir Ibrahim; Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi; Utum Eteng; Ejike Eze; Mamman Lawal; A.C Ude and E. Ifendu.
Expectedly, the move generated mixed reactions in the polity, with some schools of thought dismissing it as needless and wasteful, especially as the country is going through difficult times due to the prevailing recession. Many critics who share this view said the government, instead of the panel, should have implemented the retired Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee’s report.
They argued that the Uwais panel, which also had Professor Attahiru Jega, who later became the national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as a member, made a series of all-encompassing recommendations covering the system of government, election conduct, election petitions, the judiciary, security, the role of the media, citizens, civil society organizations, among others. It went ahead to propose constitutional amendments that would lead to credible polls.
Reacting to the setting up of the committee, a Second Republic politician and lawyer, Chief Guy Ikokwu reportedly said: “The Nnamani committee is a ploy to waste our time and meager resources, just like the piecemeal amendments of the constitution. Our democracy cannot be deepened by inconclusive election exercises or the inadequacies of a truly nonindependent INEC. See how nations like Columbia, Hungary, Britain, India and even South Africa recently conducted polls and referendums without government interference or tampering with due process. Our integrity is low and not an example to other black nations, even with our human resources.
“All the restructuring exercise can be done this year before they auction our dear national assets and consign our children to an inordinately insidious and enigmatic bondage. A purpose and strong leadership should look to the future and a worthwhile and beneficial legacy. We should reverse these 56 years of militarised unitary mindset and one-man governance in all our tiers of governance to reduce the cost of
Early in November, the committee members were said to have embarked on a retreat in Abuja, during which they were said to have reviewed the Uwais report, the electoral reforms component of the 2014 National Conference, the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) and the 1999 Constitution
governance. Time is of the essence.”
But the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who had insisted in a statement that the 24-member committee was set up to reform the electoral process, reportedly said: “The committee is expected to review the electoral environment, laws and experiences from recent elections conducted in Nigeria and make recommendations to strengthen and achieve the conduct of free and fair elections.”
The minister, who later inaugurated the committee on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, said the president had affirmed his desire to deepen the country’s democracy and entrench the culture of an enduring electoral system.
At the inauguration ceremony, the minister decried some recent judicial decisions in the country, which he said had given clear signals that the electoral system needed urgent overhauling.
Malami said: “It is important to evaluate our democratic journey thus far, with a view to fashioning out a more enduring system that will serve the present and future generations.
“It is also important to identify and assess international best practices in electoral systems relevant to Nigeria’s experience and identify best practices that would impact positively on the quality and credibility of the nation’s electoral process, as well as review the extent of implementation of the recommendations of the 2008 Electoral Reform Commission headed by Justice Muhammed Uwais and advise on outstanding issues for implementation.”
Malami advised the committee to consult far and wide, particularly with the National Assembly and the Judiciary in order to make recommendations that would stand the test of time.
The terms of reference given to the committee include: to review and make recommendations on conflicting court judgements on legal disputes on past elections; review the laws impacting elections in Nigeria, relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), and to assess their impact and adequacy for the administration of elections in Nigeria; review the lessons learnt from the 2015 general elections and make recommendations for improvement as they relate to the judicial decisions and experience from field operations and review the extent of the implementation of the recommendations of the 2008 Electoral Reform Commission headed by Justice Muhammad Uwais (Uwais Report) and advise on outstanding issues for implementation.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Senator Ken Nnamani said he was confident that President Buhari was serious about enhancing democratic structure in the country.
“The issue of inconclusive elections in the country affects the electoral process, which leads to loss of lives. The best way to stop it in advance is to support the government in implementing what will make Nigeria have non-violent elections, Nnamani reportedly said.
Following his election in 2007, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua made a similar promise on electoral reforms and later put in place an electoral reforms committee headed by the retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammadu Uwais. The committee, which has become a reference point on the subject matter, was said to have presented one of the deepest peeps into the country’s electoral process.
In 2002, the National Assembly passed the 2002 Electoral Act, which guided the 2003 general elections. The amendments effected in the Act were fallouts from the 1999 general elections and the rulings of the courts in the aftermath of the election tribunal legal tussles.
In 2006, the National Assembly, relying on findings from the election field in 2003, midwifed the 2006 Electoral Act, which guided the 2007 general elections. Since then, the nation has been in search of electoral reforms as subsequent administrations had made one attempt or another. How far has the Nnamani committee gone?
Checks by Daily Trust on Sunday indicate that the Nnamani committee was given eight weeks from the date of inauguration to complete its assignment. Early in November, the committee members were said to have embarked on a retreat in Abuja, during which they were said to have reviewed the Uwais report, the electoral reforms component of the 2014 National Conference, the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) and the 1999 Constitution. During the retreat, the committee was said to have been addressed by constitutional experts and scholars who exposed members to outstanding issues unresolved by previous electoral reforms.
Our reporter also gathered that the committee had engaged consultants who are currently working on the memoranda collected so far from relevant stakeholders on the subject matter.
“We were given eight weeks to address all issues and turn in a report that would strengthen the nation’s electoral systems. We believe that we would be able to go far within that period. Even if we won’t meet up the timeframe, it would only be an addition of a few days,” a source close to the committee said. ‘We are working’ Senator Nnamani told Daily Trust on Sunday that the committee was working underground to accomplish its assignment. He, however, said the activities of the committee would be suspended early December.
“We have already invited for memoranda from stakeholders, and our team of consultants is working on the memoranda. We also intend to undertake visits to the zones for inputs,” Nnamani said. He could, however, not state specifically when the committee would submit its report.