“SERAP” Advice Presidential Candidates to Scrap Security Votes and Immunity Clause.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked all presidential candidates in the 2019 elections, to commit themselves to innovative antigraft reforms which include the scraping of security votes and immunity clause for political office holders.
SERAP’s position was contained in a letter which the organisation said it has sent out to all major presidential candidates in the forthcoming polls.
The group in its letter set before each candidate five main anti-corruption priorities which they believe candidates should address.
These priorities include “committing to scrapping security votes spending by presidents, committing to repeal the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005, committing to reopen all reports of corruption in the electricity sector and ensuring effective prosecution of corruption allegations”.
Others include, “committing to establish independent counsel and/or special anti-corruption courts in the six-geopolitical zones of the country for the effective and speedy prosecution of all former state governors indicted for corruption, and committing to work with the judiciary to improve the independence of the National Judicial Council, including by reviewing requirements for its leadership to allow retired judges of proven integrity to lead the council.
Below is the full statement as published signed by Ms. Bamisope Adeyanju, the SERAP Senior Legal Adviser.
“Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) sent an open letter to major presidential candidates for Nigeria’s February 16 election urging them to “publicly commit to revolutionary and innovative anti-corruption reforms in five key areas, such as security votes, power sector corruption, judicial corruption and removal of immunity for presidents, vice-presidents, state governors and deputy state governors.”
President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives’ Party and Atiku Abubakar of the People Democratic Party, who were absent in the presidential debate last night, are among the candidates that SERAP said it has sent letters. Others include the candidates of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Oby Ezekwesili; Alliance for New Nigeria, Fela Durotoye; Young Progressives Party candidate, Kingsley Moghalu; KOWA Party, Sina Fagbenro-Byron; African Democratic Congress, Obadiah Mailafia; and African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore.
“In a statement, today signed by SERAP senior legal adviser Bamisope Adeyanju, the organization said: “Consistent with their right to participate in their own government, Nigerian voters deserve a substantive debate during the campaign about issues that affect them, particularly with respect to combating corruption. Now is the time to make a commitment to specific reforms that will strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption record and standing in the global ranking. Set forth below are 5 main anti-corruption priorities that candidates should address. Please let us know which positions you will support.”
“The letters dated 19 January 2019 read in part: “Candidates should commit to scrapping security votes spending by presidents and state governors by repealing the constitution to include a specific prohibition of security votes. They should also commit to a comprehensive audit of spending on security votes by presidents and governors since the return of democracy in 1999 and directing their Attorney General and Minister of Justice to take legal action in the public interest to hold governments to account on spending on security votes.”
“Candidates should commit to repealing the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 to address regulatory lapses which have continued to lead to systemic corruption and impunity of perpetrators, forcing ordinary Nigerians to pay the price for corruption in the electricity sector–staying in darkness, but still made to pay crazy electricity bills.”
“Candidates should commit to reopening all reports of corruption in the electricity sector and ensuring effective prosecution of corruption allegations, including corruption charges against Dr. Ransom Owan-led board of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission; allegations of looting of the benefits of families of the deceased employees of Power Holding Company of Nigeria; and the budgeted N16 billion between 2003 and 2007, which went down the drains as it failed to generate the needed amount of electricity.”
“Candidates should commit to establishing independent counsel and/or special anti-corruption courts in the six-geopolitical zones of the country for the effective and speedy prosecution of all former state governors indicted for corruption. They should also commit, within the first 365 days in office, to begin the constitutional reform process of removing the immunity clause in section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) to promote effective leadership and improve institutions of governance.”
“Candidates should commit to working with the judiciary to improve the independence of the National Judicial Council, including by reviewing requirements for its leadership to allow retired judges of proven integrity to lead the council. They should also commit to working with and encouraging the Chief Justice of Nigeria and NJC to ensure that the Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other judges make periodic asset declarations and public disclosures of such declarations.”
“Candidates should commit, within the first 365 days in office, to begin the constitutional reform process of inserting specific requirements in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) to make asset declaration details by presidents and state governors public, including by widely publishing the details online and on other accessible platforms.”
“Candidates should also commit to directing their Attorney General and Minister of Justice to refer cases of apparent disparity between the asset declarations of presidents and state governors before assuming offices and their alleged illicit wealth and enrichment after leaving to the Code of Code Bureau for joint investigation and prosecution with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).”
“Prior to the elections, SERAP will issue a short report on the anti-corruption commitments that candidates and political parties have made. SERAP will then issue an anticorruption assessment report in March 2019, to set clear anti-corruption agenda for the next president and administration, which would assume office May 29, 2019.”
“We hope that candidates will adopt these commitments as part of their own political platform and ensure that the important recommendations are diligently implemented if they are elected.”
I am in fact delighted to read this weblog posts which carries lots of useful data, thanks
for providing such statistics.
Great beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website,
how could i subscribe for a blog site? The account
aided me a acceptable deal. I have been tiny bit familiar of this your broadcast
offered bright clear idea
You made some good points there. I checked on the web for additional information about the issue and found most people will go along
with your views on this web site.
hi!,I love your writing so a lot! share we keep up a
correspondence extra approximately your post on AOL? I require an expert on this house to unravel my problem.
Maybe that is you! Looking ahead to see you.
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it
or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to
drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is wonderful blog.
A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
Kamagra Superactive Viagra Tablets Achat Cialis Montreal priligy tem generico Kamagra Moins Cher Viagra Wirkung Animation Doxycycline From Canada
Acheter Propecia Generique buy generic cialis Amoxil Needs Refrigeration Purchase Alli Online Treatment For Amoxicillin Rash
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thanks, However I am experiencing problems with your RSS.
I don’t know the reason why I cannot subscribe to it.
Is there anybody else getting identical RSS problems?
Anyone who knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanks!!
Cialis Wiki online pharmacy 93 3109 Pill Amoxicillin Vip Transactions Primolut To Buy Online
Thanks for some other wonderful post. The place else could anyone
get that kind of info in such an ideal means of writing?
I have a presentation subsequent week, and I am on the look for such info.
Propecia Impotenza viagra Priligy Venta En Farmacias Cheap Discount Tadalis Sx Generic Viagra Levitra
Very nice blog post. I definitely appreciate this site.
Thanks!
A person essentially help to make severely posts I’d state.
That is the very first time I frequented your web page and thus far?
I surprised with the analysis you made to make this particular publish amazing.
Great task!
This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something
which helped me. Cheers!
Aw, this was an extremely good post. Finding the time and actual effort to make a top notch article… but what
can I say… I hesitate a lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.
continuously i used to read smaller posts that
also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this article which I am reading now.