New Telegraph

Electoral Act amendment done in national interest –Reps

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon Benjamin Kalu (APC, Abia), has said the amendment of the Electoral Act, 2010, was done in national interest and not selfish ulterior motives. Kalu, who disclosed this at a press briefing yesterday said the lawmakers acted on the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. He explained that the insinuation in some quarters and in allusion to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), that the lawmakers were driven by selfish interest was wrong.

“There is nowhere in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the House Rules where selfish interest is allowed as an instrument to be used in the process lawmaking. “Rather, in place of selfish interest is public interest. And that’s why to advance that particular aspect, the Constitution and House Rules made provision for public hearing, for stakeholders’ engagement, for memorandum to be sent in, for presentation to be made for town halls. “So, these public engagements are not self-serving because not all of them are parliamentarians. Some of them are civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, political organisations, traditional organisations, researchers and believers, disciples and advocates of democracy.”

Speaking further, Kalu said that there is a thin line running through all their opinions, and that thin line is that the 2010 Electoral Act is obsolete. In view of the dynamics of the society, challenges we have experienced, the 2010 electoral act is obsolete. He added: “Therefore, we can longer meet the demands, expectations, ethos and principles of democracy.

If we are serious about advancing our democracy, we should stop playing to the gallery. We should do what the public interest says. And what is the public interest? “That they want the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill as submitted, having incorporated the direct, indirect and consensus, let’s move on, because it was only one clause that was complained about when it was submitted. “Granted that it may not be a perfect piece of legislation because what they wanted was direct primaries, but not conceding that the option of direct primaries and the consensus option go against the advancement of our democratic ethos and advancement of our democracy, let us move on; and that’s not selfish interest. That’s public interest.

“This is the parliament of the people. Whatever actions that will take, motions that move, resolutions we made and bills that we make, we make not as unto ourselves to the exclusion of others, we make it to the generality of Nigerians because, for now, we are members of the parliament. “Who knows tomorrow, we might be in the executive or even be outside the government? The laws we make today will be there to govern us in time to come as citizens of this country. “So, the element of selfishness should be removed from our ideas on this particular piece of legislation. All we have maintained, what has guided us is nothing but to increase transparency, accountability, competitiveness and fairness in our electoral system”

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