By Chuhwudi Nweje
Nigerian in the Diaspora have commended the national legislature for adopting the proposal for independent candidates to stand for elections effective 2019. The independent candidature was one of the 33 amendments adopted by the Senate and the House of Representatives during debate on the fourth alteration of the 1999 constitution on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Under 131 of the constitution currently in force, “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if – (a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) he has attained the age of forty; (c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and (d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent. With the adoption of independent candidature, eminently qualified citizens would no longer need a political party to stand in election.
Each of the amendments that both the House and Senate agreed to, will then be forwarded to the 36 states for ratification.
Two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly (i.e.: 24 state assemblies) will have to agree on the amendments before they are sent to the president for assent. The lawmakers also passed an amendment to the procedure for overriding presidential veto in Constitutional alteration.
Under the amendment, the legislature will have the power to override the president’s veto on matters of amendment to the Constitution without the president’s final signature.
Reacting to the Fourth alteration bill, the Nigerians in the Diaspora Movement, Europe (NIDME) described the adoption of independent candidates as long overdue and commended the Senators for taking what it described as “a giant step at this time.”
The group added, “This is more important ahead of 2019 general elections.”
The group said that the amendment would give Nigerians in the Diaspora who want to contest in the forthcoming election the opportunity to do so without belonging to any of the political parties.
A Nigerian in the Diaspora, Alistair Soyode, said that the new constitutional provision if passed would provide an alternative for making Nigeria a greater nation through a new breed of leaders. Soyode, who is the founder of the first ethnic satellite Media Company in Europe, said that with the amendment he could easily declare his interest and candidacy for political office when the time is right.
“I am therefore joining the new breed as a leader in alliance with other good leaders who will give millions of Nigerians a better nation and a greater Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, “In a season where Nigerians have lost faith in our democracy and political parties or on some candidates of existing political parties, it’s time for all of us to join forces to make Nigeria greater; it is time for a generation of electorate to go out there to vote and support new leadership that can make Nigeria greater than in its present position. It’s time for us all to be seen and heard doing the right thing, and Nigerians all-over the world deserve a much better Nigeria than it is at the moment.”
He congratulated the National Assembly and the Executive for their determination to chart a path to greatness for Nigeria and prayed that the amendments would pass all other required phases on time before the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) “blows the whistle for 2019.” He however wondered why the Diaspora voting right was not added into the constitutional amendment despite INEC’s commitment to act if amended to allow the Diaspora voting.