Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, has criticized the House of Representatives bill that would create the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission (PPRRC), stating that building another public organization would only make Nigeria’s financial situation worse.
The House Committee on Constitution Review is reportedly considering the bill, which is co-sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Marcus Onobun of the Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency in Edo State.
Should it be approved, it will change the Constitution’s Sections 40, 81, 84, 153, 222, 225, 226, 228 and the Third Schedule, giving the new commission the authority to register, regulate, and keep an eye on political parties as well as manage their finances, internal democracy, primaries, and general operations.
Speaking through Tanko Yunusa, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, in an interview with The Punch, Obi criticized the proposed amendment, stating that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be in charge of registering political parties.
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Based on the Justice Muhammed Uwais Report, we recommended the creation of an Enforcement Commission to enforce laws pertaining to legitimate elections and an Electoral Monitoring Committee to handle elections. “The Delineation Commission is the third one,” Yunusa stated.
Yunusa maintained that it would be foolish to fully deprive INEC of its party registration function, emphasizing that changes ought to concentrate on addressing electoral irregularities rather than repeating duties.
“You cannot completely deprive INEC of its authority to register and regulate political parties; that is one of its main functions,” he continued. The Enforcement Commission, which will handle the problems of electoral fraud, should have been the focus of the Constitution Review Committee. This will address electoral malpractice. This function can be delegated to INEC so that it can focus on party registration and election conduct.
