From PETRUS OBI, Enugu
Sunnewsonline Thursday, November 18, 2010
Second Republic vice president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme has described the move by members of the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to make them automatic members of the National Executive Committees (NEC) of their various political parties as selfish. Ekwueme spoke yesterday in Enugu while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after he declared open the second Coal City Book Convention organized by Delta Book Club.
He said the move also totally negates the spirit and letters of true democracy, pointing out that if the bill was allowed to scale through, it would also put pressure on the nomination process of the various political parties for the 2011 general elections. He therefore urged the parties involved, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) to immediately checkmate the move by using the parties’ internal mechanisms.
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Guardian Thursday, 18 November 2010 00:00
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu News – National
FORMER Vice President Alex Ekwueme has described as self-serving, the move by members of the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to make them automatic members of the National Executive Committees (NEC) of their various political parties.
Ekwueme stated that the move, if allowed, would put pressure on the nomination process of the various parties for the 2011 general elections.
Speaking with journalists in Enugu shortly after declaring open the Second Coal City Book Convention organised by Delta Book Club, he said the move totally negates the spirit and letters of true democracy, which the country strives to inculcate.
He, therefore, urged the parties involved, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) to immediately checkmate the move by using the parties’ internal mechanisms, which, according to him, guarantees fairness to all.
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Opposition gears up for a fight
From Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja , Thisday Newspaper 11.17.2010
Former Vice-President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, has asked the leading political parties to stop the move by federal lawmakers to become members of their parties’ National Executive Committee (NEC).
The 2010 Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which has already passed second reading in both chambers within days of introduction, seeks to make federal lawmakers automatic members of parties’ NECs – the highest decision-making organ.
The sheer number of National Assembly members is expected to overwhelm other members of NEC, effectively placing the control of parties under the legislators.
Ekwueme joined the widespread condemnation yesterday, urging the parties with members in the National Assembly to employ “internal mechanism” to stop the move which he described as “self-serving”.
He said it is not only self-serving but against the spirit and letters of presidential system of government.
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