Former Spokesperson of Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, has called for constitutional amendments to reform the country’s democratic system and create credible political institutions to end rampant defection of politicians from one party to another.
To address the challenges, Showunmi in a policy paper titled ‘Strengthening Political Parties as Pillars of Democracy’, advocated that any politicians seeking elective office must have be a registered member of a party for four years before running for an election to stop what he described as ” political tourism”.
He proposed that such should be embedded to address specific sections of the 1999 constitution including sections 65(2)(b), 106(d), 131(c), and 177(c) to make sure that politicians were motivated bythe principles of their party rather than personal ambitions.
The Convener of The Alternative(A Pan Nigerian Movement) said that it was high time Nigeria politicians change the narrative of political system in the country by choosing personality-driven politics instead of party-based governance curb the frequent defections that have destabilised nation’s democratic system.
“This will make candidates accountable to their parties’ manifestos and prevent opportunistic defections that erode public trust.” he said.
The Peoples Democratic party(PDP) Chieftain in Ogun State in the proposal suggested an automatic loss of office for any elected official who decamped from the party that sponsored their election and also prescribed a ban for them from contesting on the platform of another party.
He said that under the plan political parties would be required to clearly state their ideological principles in their constitutions, adopt transparent candidate selection processes, and publish annual audited financial reports to curb the influence of political godfathers
The policy further tasks the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with verifying the duration of party membership through a central biometric register and disqualifying candidates who fail to meet the requirements.
Showunmi listed expected benefits of the reforms to include reduced electoral violence, ideological clarity for voters, improved accountability, and stability in governance.
He opined that the initiative was aimed at shifting Nigeria from what he called a strongman democracy to a system anchored on strong and credible political institutions.”
“The proposal includes a 12-year sunset clause, after which its impact on Nigeria’s democratic development would be reviewed”.
“This is not about individuals; it is about building a political culture where parties, not personalities, drive our national development,” Showunmi noted.
