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#Post#: 1899--------------------------------------------------
Presidential voting benchmark tears delegates apart
By: mr trick Date: March 24, 2014, 1:14 pm
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The first major deadlock set in at the national conference,
Monday, when the delegates were split over the clause
stipulating that all decisions to be reached must be done
through consensus or a vote of 75 percent majority.
Tension began to rise when the chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi,
attempted to overrule, a delegate, Chief Mike Ozekomhe, who had
called for the amendment of the provision to make it possible
for any decision to be arrived at through two thirds majority,
which he said was the same position with the constitution and
global best practices.
Ozekomhe had argued that it would be against the interest of
natural justice and the nation for major decisions to be decided
by only a few persons at the confab, since the meaning of 75
percent was such that even if the delegates had up to 74.99
percent, they could not change anything while a minority of 25
percent of the members could easily win over anything they
decide on under the rule of consensus.
Confab: Cross Section of Physically Challenges Delegate at the
Conference on Monday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria pointed out that if the rule was
allowed to stand, it would be impossible for delegates
representing local interests to influence the outcome of any
issue at the end of the confab, thereby defeating the purpose
for which they were nominated by their sponsors.
The Edo-born lawyer argued: ¡°My Lord, I want to point out for
your attention and that of the delegates that a lot of very
controversial and emotive issues will come up at the conference
since many of the delegates here represent local and community
interests.
¡°Under the provision for 75 percent for any dissenting voice to
get anything done here, it would be very difficult for anything
to be achieved. We should therefore go back to the normal
practice of two third majority when it comes to voting on any
matter.
¡°What this means is that for any decision to be taken no fewer
than 369 of the 492 delegates must concur before such can be
done. This is behemoth and extremely difficult given our
situation in this country,¡± the lawyer argued.
Ozekomhe had hardly landed when Kutigi reminded him that the
issue of consensus or 75 percent voting by the dissenting party
had already been decided by Presidency and that the matter had
been closed.
¡°We cannot change the rule of voting which had already been
decided by the President, who set the tone for this conference;
the issue has been closed,¡± the chairman countered.
But many delegates, among them, Oodua Peoples Congress Chief
Ganiyu Adams, Prof Auwalu Yadudu, Dr. Ahmadu Alli and elder
statesman, Ayo Adebanjo rose against Kutigi, saying that the
rule should be amended to comply with the Nigerian Constitution,
which stipulates two third majority for voting on any serious
matter before it becomes law.
¡°Where in the world have you heard of 75 percent voting
majority in any matter?¡± Adebanjo queried.
¡°We should not isolate Nigeria when it comes to issues of very
serious international and national importance like this. We
should go with the world and not play into the hands of those
who do not want Nigeria to work.
¡°Mr. Chairman, I plead with you to go back to Mr. President and
plead with him that the 75 percent or three quarter majority
should be changed to two thirds majority as is the case all over
the world. We should not be given any condition that is
unattainable,¡± Chief Adebanjo pleaded.
Adding his voice to the debate, Auwalu Yadudu, a professor of
law, noted that the insertion of the clause for 75 percent
voting majority was quite strange and at variance with the
Nigerian constitution, which stipulates two thirds majority.
Yadudu said, ¡°This is the first time we are hearing of 75
percent voting majority. If the provision of the constitution is
ignored, we can as well ignore the directive by the President
that the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria should
not be discussed at the conference.
However former Nigeria¡¯s Ambassador to the United States,
Hassam Adamu and the former Inspector General of Police,
Mohammed Gambo Jimeta both from Adamawa State countered the
protagonists of two thirds voting majority, saying that Jonathan
was right in insisting on consensus or 75 percent voting
majority.
Despite the attempt by Kutigi to rule that the matter had been
closed, more dissenting voices rented the air and he had to
defer discussion on the issue as the members went on break at
2pm.
The confab tactically deferred further discussion on the matter
when the resumed at 4pm and rather deliberated on other items
listed on the order papers for adoption.
The delegates also disagreed with the position that chairman and
deputies of the committees should be appointed by the principal
officers and instead made it the duty of members of the
different committees to elect their leaders.
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