INEC Must Retain Party Registration Role – Obi Rejects New Bil

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 the establishment of another public organization would only make Nigeria’s financial situation worse.
According to reports, the bill is presently before the House Committee on Constitution Review. It is co-sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Marcus Onobun, who represents the Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency in Edo State.
Sections 40, 81, 84, 153, 222, 225, 226, 228 and the Third Schedule of the Constitution will be amended if it is approved, 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.

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In an interview with The Punch, speaking through Tanko Yunusa, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Obi criticized the proposed amendment, stating that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be in charge of registering political parties.

We recommended an Electoral Monitoring Committee to oversee elections and an Enforcement Commission to implement laws pertaining to legitimate elections, as per the Justice Muhammad Uwais Report. The Delineation Commission is the third,” Yunusa stated.

Yunusa emphasized that changes should concentrate on addressing election malpractices rather than overlapping duties, arguing that it would be foolish to fully remove INEC’s role in party registration.

One of INEC’s main responsibilities is to register and oversee political parties, which you cannot totally take away from it, he continued. In order to address the problems of electoral fraud, the Constitution Review Committee ought to have focused on the Enforcement Commission. The electoral malpractices will be resolved by this. In order to focus on election administration and party registration, INEC can be released from this responsibility.