Reps probe ‘corruption’ in conduct of primaries by political parties

The house of representatives has commenced an investigation on the alleged violation of the electoral act by political parties in the primaries to choose candidates for the 2019 general election.

The house on Thursday set up an ad hoc committee to look into the matter, charging it to determine whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) colluded with the parties to flout the electoral act.

Abubakar Adamu (APC-Niger), who moved the motion, condemned the All Progressives Congress (APC) for “lack of internal democracy” in the conduct of the elections.

He accused the parties of failing to adhere to the provisions of their constitutions and the electoral act with regard to the conduct of primaries.

He said: “Some parties brazenly refused to hold primaries in contravention of Section 87 (10) of the electoral act which makes it mandatory for parties to hold primaries, thereby leading to crisis in some state chapters of political parties.”

“Governors in many states interfered with the elections by either imposing their preferred stooges as candidates on the parties and ensured that some aspirants were denied the right to participate or were shortchanged in the elections after paying huge amounts to obtain nomination forms.”

He argued that if legislative measures were not adopted to address the trend, ”the national assembly may, in the nearest future, be the assemblage of governors’ stooges to the detriment of our democracy and the interest of the electorate”.

He decried the act of selling nomination forms to aspirants at exorbitant rates even when party leaders had predetermined the winners of primaries.

The lawmaker described the act as ”unjust which can be equated as corruption”.

According to Adamu, some parties sell forms at exorbitant rates and don’t explain or justify their expenses.

”Even where clear winners emerged in the primaries, the results were altered and other persons declared winners, thereby shortchanging the electorate and violating Section 87 (3&4) of the Electoral Act.

”The crisis in the parties has generated many litigation, which may spill over into the tenure of the next governments as some of them may not be terminated before the end of the tenure of this government.

”And in some cases, there were violent attacks, including burning of property, maiming and killing of people,” he remarked.

When Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, put the motion on a voice vote, it was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers.

Thereafter, the speaker constituted the ad hoc committee to ascertain the income and expenses of the major political parties in the last four years in line with Section 226 of the constitution.

The probe, according to the lawmakers, will enable the national assembly correct any defects in the act and strengthen the extant law, including the constitution in order to improve the nation’s electoral process and deepen democracy.

The committee has four weeks to conclude its assignment and report its findings to the house for further legislative action.