Posted by By RAZAQ BAMIDELE on
Former Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, (LASU), Professsor Jadesola Akande has advocated a five party system in Nigeria, complaining that the 50 political party system currently being operated is not only wasteful but prone to electoral fraud.
Former Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, (LASU), Professsor Jadesola Akande has advocated a five party system in Nigeria, complaining that the 50 political party system currently being operated is not only wasteful but prone to electoral fraud.
Speaking on the second day of the public hearing organised by the Lagos State Electoral Reform Committee at the Imperial Hall, Alausa, Ikeja, yesterday, the don said whoever could not find his choice among the five existing political parties could as well contest as an independent candidate, suggesting that the constitution should be amended to accommodate such an arrangement.
Akande disagreed with the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) who was quoted by a national daily as saying that police could not aid election rigging, pointing out that if the police that were to guard the voters and the electoral materials were not available where and when they were needed, their would surely be room for electoral irregularities.
She called for serious training and adequate remuneration of the police as well as ad-hoc staff to be employed by the electoral body so as to prevent them from being prone to bribery and corruption.
While challenging the media to also give equal coverage to all the political parties and their candidates so as to create level play ground for them, Akande decried a situation where only the big parties would be enjoying media patronage at the detriment of the supposedly weak ones.
She also condemned the way the INEC chairman was being appointed by the President who is a member of a political party saying the appointment should be broad based with the approval of the National Assembly as a final seal to such an appointment.