Parliament to deny regional heads powers to sign off list of MPs elect in 2016 polls

Parliament will shoot down the proposal to give powers heads of federal states to sign the list of official members of the Houses of Federal Parliament, Goobjoog News has learnt.

The lawmakers, who are still debating proposals submitted by the National Leadership Forum, NLF will also object the formation of a separate election dispute arbitration committee.

The NLF, which is made up of the president, Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament and heads of regional states proposed that chief executives of each federal member state will be vested with the authority to sign the official list of the Upper and Lower House candidates elect.

This, the NLF said will be done after the State-Level Electoral Implementation Teams (SEITs) forward the certified final results. It further proposed State executives will nominate at least two candidates for each seat.  The state assemblies will vote for each seat individually.

But Federal MPs have questioned the rationale of bestowing such powers to the regional heads all of whom are interested parties in the polls.

135 elders

The lawmakers have also taken issue with composition of 135 elders who will be tasked with the choice of the delegates who will in turn elect the members of parliament. The list is drawn from the 135 elders who participated in the election of members of parliament in 2012.

The NLF has proposed the list of the 135 Traditional Elders shall serve as the base of the electoral process. The list will be updated, whereby the deceased elders will be replaced and those questionable or disputed will be corrected, read the proposal.

But some MPs have intimated to Goobjoog News they are concerned with the manner in which the elders will be replaced. The Ministry of Interior will be responsible for the selection and updating of the list, a matter some MPs worry the government might manipulate the list to its advantage.

Dispute resolution mechanism

Another proposal which the lawmakers have raised concern and intend to oppose is the formation of the independent dispute resolution mechanism. The lawmakers, Goobjoog News has learnt are of the opinion the arbitration team be drawn from the 135 elders since they understand the process and are duly qualified as arbiters in their day to day lives.