By Luka Binniyat
ABUJA – The Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, made up of 390 Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs, and Civil Society groups, yesterday, lampooned the controversial bill before the National Assembly which seeks to include members of the National Assembly as automatic members of the National Executive Committees, NECs, of all political parties.

The TMG made its position known when it visited the headquarters of the All Nigerians Peoples Party, ANPP, in Abuja

The ANPP, which agreed with the TMG on the matter, also informed the group that the ANPP was the greatest victim of electoral fraud in the history of Nigeria, and vowed to use all legal means to ensure that all votes cast in the 2011 polls truly counted.

Chairman of the TMG, Comrade Moshood Erubami,  in his speech, said the action of the federal lawmakers was illegal, self-serving and bad for Nigerian democracy. Erubami’s speech was read by Dr. Osita Nnamani Ogbu, the Treasure of the TMG

“There is no way that when that bill is passed into law, it would not be set aside by a law court,” he said.

“You cannot make a law that gives you such undue advantage as automatically becoming members of NEC of parties without going through elections or amending the constitutions of the parties”, he said.

“Though item 53 of the exclusive legislative list gives the National Assembly powers to make laws that would affect political parties, section 45 of the Nigerian constitutions also empowers political parties to make their administrative structures. It also said the National Assembly should make laws that are fair to all”, he said.

“They must allow the political parties to have their independence; to create their laws and administer their parties without interference from outside”, he said.

“We are certain that the bill will not operate when it becomes a law, because people would go to court and ensure that it does not operate”, he said.

He then informed the ANPP that the TMG wants the formation of Stakeholders Advisory Committee. According to him, the Committee would involve the Independent National  Electoral Commission, INEC, political parties and key members of civil society led by the TMG.

In his response the ANPP National Chairman said the controversial bill before the National Assembly is unfortunate.

He then lamented that the ANPP has been most severely dealt with by electoral fraud.
“We will do everything within the law this time to ensure that votes count”, he said.
“We would give our full cooperation to the TMG to ensure first and foremost internal democracy in our party, as we battle to take over power in 2011”, he said.

“The ANPP stands for a united, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria”, he went on. “without fair and free elections, Nigeria can never attain the aspiration of the ANPP”, he said.