Former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande has faulted the Nigerian Electoral Act of 2010, saying the Act is one clog in the wheel of progress of political parties in the country.
Akande who talked with New Dawn in Lagos recently said the biggest problem of Nigerian politicians is the Act.
“I think the biggest problem is the Electoral Act of 2010 that is the problem of Nigerian politicians,” he said.
The elder statesman declared that “Before the Electoral Act of 2010, the political parties were on their own. They are supposed to be like private organisations whose decisions should be private, they are not owned by anybody.
“They owned themselves, they are like private organisations whose decisions should be private and whoever they chose to represent them that is the person they would choose. After doing that, political parties should be able to sell themselves to the public. If they win, then good luck and if they don’t win, fine all the same,” he said.
Akande, a member of the elder’s council of the All Progressives Congress explained further that, “The Electoral Act 2010 says that when you want to organise your party even at the Ward level, the Police must be involved, INEC must be involved, DSS and so on must be there. The government regulates how the parties must run, it is not done anywhere in the world.”
Comparing with what obtains in other democratic countries, Akande said it is an aberration.
“It is not done in any democracy that an Electoral Act controls the political parties. It is not in Canada, Israel, India, Switzerland, America, England, not in any democracy in the whole world to create law and determine how a political party should be run, but Nigeria did it to hold down the party so it doesn’t make it appear as if there is any difference between the parties.
“You may sit down to have a very lofty manifesto, you sit down to form your party, other people would come and hijack your party. Those who should not be there, who do not know when you started, who do not believe in your manifesto.”
He also condemned the situation where people sell properties to raise fund to hijack political parties.
“In Nigeria, some people just believe that you can go and sell your father’s house, make money and hijack a party, get to position and recoup your money.
“The electoral law reduces our parties to a trade and not service. With that law remaining in our book, our political parties can never do well.
“You buy an election, buy political positions in the party. You pay to be elected, to become a National Assembly member or any position, when you sell your father’s property, you have to steal money to pay back.”
According to Akande, until the Electoral Act of 2010 is removed, the political parties can’t be well run.
“Until that law is removed, our political parties cannot do well. The law that seeks to regulate activities of political parties is a bad law,” he said, adding that, “When I was doing politics I don’t pay anybody. Nobody asked me, I went there to serve. Today they buy votes. Is that law?
“You and I have like minds, and we sit down to write a manifesto and form a political party. Then someone who doesn’t believe in the party comes and hijack it. When he gets there, he won’t follow that manifesto. And when the party is not good for him again, he jumps to another party.
“You can join as many parties as possible they don’t care but they will care when they get into chaos,” he said.
