Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have bluntly rejected the Electoral Bill 2021 due to the Senate’s introduction of consensus as a mode for the nomination of candidates in the Electoral Bill 2021.
In a joint statement signed by Civil Society Organisations, they rejected the decision of the Senate to introduce an entirely new mode of “consensus” as a procedure for candidates’ nominations.
The Consensus mode, according to the Group, is antithetical to democratic principles and will result in the subversion of popular will.
“Furthermore, it violates the rights of aspirants to equal participation in party primaries and limits the choice of voters to candidates who did not emerge from democratic primary elections.
“Judging from experience, the consensus has occasioned a litany of litigations in Nigeria’s electoral process.”
The Senate and House of Representatives recommitted the Electoral Bill 2021 with a proposed amendment to Clause 84 dealing with the nomination of candidates.
While the Senate voted for direct, indirect and consensus mode as the procedure for the nomination of candidates, the House of Representatives voted for direct and indirect primaries as the acceptable mode of nomination of candidates.
The Groups further call on the Senate to, in line with the popular will of Nigerians, adopt the position of the House of Representatives, which now recognises direct and indirect primaries as the procedure for nomination of candidates.
With this development, a harmonisation committee will have to be constituted by the leadership of the National Assembly to harmonise the divergent positions of both chambers, thereby delaying the speedy conclusion of the process.
The CSOs further call for the immediate withdrawal of the new introduction, which is alien to the original Electoral Bill 2021, to speed up the work of the harmonisation committee and conclusion of the amendment process on or before the 21 January 2022 deadline.
“Any further delay will undermine public confidence in the reform process and therefore unacceptable.” The Groups stated.
The CSO groups that signed the press release are Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD), The Albino Foundation, CLEEN Foundation, Institute for Media and Society (IMS), Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), Partners for Electoral Reform (PER), Civil Society, Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Nigeria Network of Non-Governmental Organisations (NNNGO) and Inclusive Friends Association (IFA).