Yar'Adua, Mark charge senators on electoral reform

PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday urged the 2009 Senators' Retreat in Enugu to be focused on the issue of getting Nigeria's electoral system right.

The Senate President, David Mark, spoke in a similar vein, decrying calls for removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof, Maurice Iwu, as unnecessary as it would not solve the nation's electoral problems.

Yar'Adua and Mark spoke at the opening of the yearly All Senators' Retreat in Abuja.

But the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), which yesterday also reviewed the state of the nation, concluded that Nigeria has gone 40 years backward under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) owing to the alleged negligence and self-centredness of the ruling political grouping.

Yar'Adua, who opened the retreat, named two core issues which should be addressed before meaningful national development. They include the enthronement of proper sets of legislation to boost the electoral system and the change of attitude of Nigerians in a way that would make the laws operational.

His words: "I believe that if we get the issue of election right in this country, every other thing will fall in place. I say so because I know that our people are very eager to be counted in the process of good governance; once we can gain their confidence and convey that the various social ills plaguing our country today range from corruption to unrest in various different segments of the country will disappear. I charge you to please take necessary challenges in this regard and one is getting a good law to enhance credible electoral system. The second is changing our attitude. I consider those things very important knowing that all of us know that no law would be effective unless we collectively decide to make it effective by abiding by its dictates."

Yar'Adua stated his resolve to assent to the electoral bills currently pending in the National Assembly into law immediately they were passed.

He said: "I want to restate here that as government, we shall support the National Assembly's effort to amend our Constitution and Electoral Act. We shall waste no time in signing it into law the outcome of the exercise as long as the bill meets the aspirations and views of Nigerians."

According to Mark, those calling for the removal of the INEC chairman were trivialising a very serious matter, which needed to be tackled headlong.

His words: "Another important question is the lack of autonomy and independence for our Election Management Bodies (EMBs). These and other such issues have contributed to the present state of our political challenges and agitation. Let me also admit that there is need for some reforms in our system.

"But may I quickly add that our process is certainly not the worst in the world as some self-styled analysts would want us to believe and let me say further and more emphatically this time that the removal of Prof. Maurice Iwu is not the review or the reform of our electoral process. Removal of Iwu is not synonymous with electoral reform or review. Those calling for the removal of Iwu as the first step are trivialising a very serious national issue."

Mark added: "Let me also admit that weak democratic institutions and processes exist that are not able to exert effective control over this situation. Disregards for rule of law as well as the ignorance of a large section of the populace on their rights and freedoms more often than not threaten to undermine our electoral process.

However, we must take critical look at all the issues. We need to look inwards and see whether we need a review of the entire Electoral Act or whether we have to place emphasis on public enlightenment to educate the populace to understand their voting rights. Is the problem actually with the existing Electoral Act and legislation or with our attitude or indeed the vaulting ambition of some individuals who believe that unless they are in power, nothing can be right?"

In a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Eneukwu, the ANPP said that, for example, the standard of living of an average Nigerian has continued to decline steadily daily and is heading to a zero per cent level.

It stressed that the PDP-led government has created a situation whereby the future of an average Nigerian seems bleak, as a result of increase in poverty rate.

The ANPP went on: "Most of our people are not sure of the next meal. Even though they labour like elephants, they end up earning like ants. This is as a result of government inability to create an enabling environment devoid of hardship and frustration, which will in turn boost investment in our country.

"The government keeps announcing rise in the price of crude oil, but there is nothing on ground to show for it as the dividend. Rather, what we see in our country is increase in unemployment and crime rates every day. We are convinced that the PDP led government deliberately embarked upon this project of punishing Nigerians with hunger so that the people will remain slaves before them in order to use the same people as agents of electoral malpractice during elections."

He cited the Second Republic when the rate of hunger and unemployment was far lower than the current situation, saying that the ruling group in power then, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), could not use the masses for such illicit practice, because they were not too hungry.

"Presently, our roads are dilapidated, the hospitals are ill-equipped, the education sector is in total shambles, our electoral process is truncated, the refineries are totally closed down, etc problems they created that can take them 40 years to restructure if they should remain in power," the ANPP remarked.

It added: "The wishes and aspirations of our citizens are totally subverted by the PDP government. The volume of damages, which our dear nation has incurred under the visionless authority of the PDP government, has sent our country to a compulsory 40 years backward.

"It is evident that with what is on ground and coupled with severe agony which the same party, the PDP, has subjected the masses to, that the ruling PDP lacks the moral justification and credibility even to present candidates under its platform to stand for any election in this country any more, as it has failed and cannot lead our country to actualise her vision 20-2020, and join the league of other development-oriented nations in the world, who effectively provide the basic needs of her citizenry.

"In view of this therefore, the relevance of their continue stay in power come 2011 election cannot be justified and they should be voted out of office to usher in the much desired good leadership."