A bill seeking to transfer the registration and regulation of political parties from the Independent National Electoral Commission to an independent authority has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill aims to establish an Independent Authority to handle the registration, regulation, and funding of political parties in Nigeria. It also proposes the creation of a Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to resolve conflicts involving political parties and their members.
Co-sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and Marcus Onobun, a lawmaker representing Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency in Edo State, the bill was debated during Thursday’s plenary. While presenting the bill, Onobun explained that the move would allow INEC to focus on its primary duty of conducting elections without being burdened by the management of political parties.
He said, “The call for transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process has grown louder in recent years. Many citizens have blamed INEC for election irregularities. Whether rightly or wrongly, it is clear that our electoral system needs serious reforms. In a country with over 200 million people, INEC is overwhelmed with the task of registering and regulating political parties, overseeing coalitions, and conducting elections at various levels. To improve our electoral process, we need a separate authority to register and regulate political parties. This will allow INEC to focus solely on conducting free, fair, and credible elections.”
Onobun further explained that the bill aims to create an independent body, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, which would handle party registration and oversee their operations.
He added, “The bill also proposes the establishment of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to resolve conflicts between party members, parties themselves, independent candidates, and coalitions. It also includes penalties for parties and their members who violate the rules, ensuring accountability and transparency.”
The bill also seeks to amend sections 75 to 81 of the Electoral Act 2022, removing the responsibility of registering political parties from INEC. When the bill was put to a voice vote by Speaker Abbas, the lawmakers supported it, and it was referred to the Committees on Electoral Matters and Political Party Matters for further review.
