*Says any one convicted for any electoral offence be convicted for 10 years
* Senate should set aside 2 weeks for objection to INEC Chairman

By Henry Umoru, Levinus Nwabughiogu & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA— THE Committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters has recommended that elected political officers who cross carpet before the expiration of their terms, must automatically forfeit their seats, but be free to contest for such a position or any other position on the platform of their new offices.

The Committee also recommended that the Senate must set aside at least two weeks to allow for public objections in the course of screening nominees of the President for any position at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, even as it also recommended that any leader to be elected to any public office must have served himself and not one who has no experience somewhere or had not served himself.

According to the Committee which has former Senate Presidents  Iyorcha Ayu and Senator Ken Nnamani as co-chairmen, it also recommended that any person convicted of any electoral offence should be disqualified for a period of ten years from the date of conviction; from contesting any election or holding any elective or appointive position either in government or political party.

Such offences mentioned by the Committee include registration offences, campaign finance breaches and breach of political party finance provision. The committee also recommended that any action challenging the conduct of primaries by a political party shall be filed within fourteen days of the accrual of the cause of action.

These and other recommendations were presented to the plenary yesterday, but discussions would continue today before the final adoption. The Committee in its recommendation advocated the enforcement of a Code of Conduct for political parties already drawn up by the Inter-Party Advisory Council.

The committee also recommended that for party to enhance party independence and discipline, all members must submit themselves to the principle of party supremacy and that elective members of the party must respect party decisions at all times. On the conduct of election, the committee recommended that biometric data of all electorate should be captured, stored and used for elections in the country. In addition, it said INEC should ensure that the latest technology is deployed at all times in the conduct of elections as is the case in other jurisdictions. The committee also recommended that relevant sections of the Constitution and the Electoral Act be amended to provide for independent candidacy during elections.