Reps to sanction members opposed to Electoral Act

House of Representatives members in staunch support of the heavily-criticised amendment to the Electoral Act that gives lawmakers automatic membership of their parties’ National Executive Committee have demanded that members opposed to the amendment be sanctioned, NEXT learnt yesterday.

Their target are lawmakers who have gone public to state their opposition to the contentious amendments. The renewed determination to ensure the passage of the bill comes as a second member of the House viciously condemned the bill on a Television programme yesterday.

Ita Enang, the chairman House committee on Business and Rules, criticized his colleagues on a TV show on Thursday for introducing and seeking the passage of the proposed sections. He described the bill as “toxic” and called on Nigerians to press for its rejection.

“Certain provision in the bill to amend the Electoral Act is toxic,” he said. “We only allow it come to the floor and passed second reading so that the public will have the opportunity to contribute to it, it does not mean that the bill enjoys the support of the House.

“At the public hearing, the public will be able to make contribution and reject it because the 1999 Constitution had already empowered the political parties to run their affairs, it is not the responsibilities of the National Assembly to make such laws and it must be rejected”.

In his capacity as the chairman of the Rules and Business committee, Mr. Enang approved the bill for listing on the Order Paper for debate during the second reading of the bill.

He however urged his colleagues to reject the contentious clause in the bill at the final reading, saying it will not stand the test of time.

Growing opposition

Mr. Enang said the lawmakers should be more concerned with resolving the uncertainty caused by the court ruling which declared the amendment of the 1999 constitution as incomplete without the assent of the president.

He appeared with Patrick Obahiagbon, the Edo state lawmaker who staged the first public opposition to the bill’s passage at a press conference last Monday. Mr. Obahiagbon had said the attempt to introduce the controversial law, amounts to “legislative rascality”.

Since then, condemnations against the bill have grown with several opposition parties threatening mass protest against its passage.

Source said yesterday that majority of the members who have supported for the bill, view the remarks of the colleagues as contemptuous, and are already making calls for sanctions against them when the House resumes next week.

Eseme Eyiboh, the House spokesperson could not be reached yesterday.