. . . Outlines steps to save Nigerian democracy

By CHARLES IWUOHA

The South-East based coalition of Human Rights and Democracy organisations has advocated for scrapping of the Senate and retention of House of Representatives know as Unicameral Legislature with an increase of 500 seats across the federation.

The group stated that the “Nigerian Electoral Process And Public Governance Must no Longer be left in the hands of Judicial Officers, Electoral Umpire And Political Actors alone”.

It added that the involvement of regular court judicial officers in electoral matters has become a conduit pipe for judicial officers’ corruption and beyond the law lifestyles in Nigeria in the past 20 years.

The human rights coalition said it has been investigated and found that removal of regular court judicial officers from electoral courts in Nigeria will cut down judicial officers’ corruption by 70%.

It noted that the non-active involvement of the above listed and petitioned ‘attentive public entities’ (non state democratic forces) in electoral process and public governance has turned judicial officers, electoral umpire and political actors in Nigeria into demigods and outlaws.

The coalition said that the industrial actions in Nigeria must be expanded to include ‘public interest and democratic content’ downing of tools for purposes of saving Nigerian Democracy and Electoral Process and taking back Judiciary, Electoral Umpire and Political Participation in particular.

It suggested that the Nigerian Government must be lawfully forced into fresh electoral and judicial reforms including; Professionalization and departmentalization of electoral courts.

The coalition in a statement signed by Mr Emeka Umeaghalasi, Criminologist Researcher, for International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), Comrade Aloysius Emeka Atta, for Civil Liberties Organisation South-East, Professor Jerry Chiedozie and Chukwuokolo and Engr. Ikenwoke Nwandu and Professor Justin Amujieze, for Ekwenche Research institute, Chicago, USA respectively.

The statement reads in part: “Removal of House of Reps (National Assembly) and State Houses of Assembly seats from political parties’ membership and affiliations for purposes of drastic reduction of money politics and corruption, quality representation and lawmaking and direct involvement of the electorates in the election of the lawmakers.

“Legislative confirmation of the appointment of INEC Chair, National Commissioners and RECs; CJN, PCA, AGF, President of the Federal High Courts and the Chief Judge of the FCT by two-thirds of the constituency members (not members present) of the National Assembly (House of Reps) including two- thirds of the reps from each of the six geopolitical zones; and elimination of “simple majority” and legislative rubber-stamping of such appointees including “the bad and the ugly” among them

“Strongly opposing nomination of JCA Haruna Tsammani as a Supreme Court Justice and calling for thorough scrutiny of 21 others by the above listed and petitioned democratic forces

We have successfully dragged Justice Haruna Tsammani and four other members of the 2023 PEPT to 70 world leaders for international blacklisting and visa blockage for officially indulging in acts capable of endangering democracy and its electoral process including political participation and attempting to bring the judiciary and judicial officers in Nigeria to local and international disrepute

(7a)…come August 22, 2024 when the current CJN will mandatorily and statutorily leave office, we must not allow the appointment of an ‘anti democracy and anti rule of law enabler’ as next CJN and must not allow the appointing or ‘clearing’ authorities any space to impose any

(7b)…come Oct 22, 2025 when the current INEC Chair will mandatorily and statutorily leave office, we must not allow an unapologetic and unrepentant promoter of election rigging and voter suppression as next INEC Chair and must not allow the appointing or ‘clearing’ authorities any space to impose any.

(8)… it has been investigated and found that if it is to be in China, the active players in the 2023 presidential poll and its judicial enquiries in Nigeria and those involved in the Imo’s Nov 11 2023 harvested and written Governorship results will be battling with life imprisonment trials for “political and national interest sabotage”.

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