BY JUDE OSSAI / ENUGU
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The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) has thrown its wieght behind the call for electoral reforms in the country.
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NAS Capoon, Dr Joseph Oteri stated this while presenting a position paper at public hearing held by the House Committee on review of the 1999 in Enugu.
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Oteri who spoke through Dr. Kenneth Okoro, Mni, and former national secretary, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) said, “We want deployment of electronic system as an integration of the voters cards with the National Identity Management System such for anybody to vote, that person must have a voter’s card. So, we stop a situation where foreigners integrate to vote during election.
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“We are also concerned about transmission of results electronically real time. The other area we are concern is judicial reforms. A situation whereby participant body or persons of identify appoints judicial officers. It does not goid for our judicial system. We want a non-partisan body to appoint members judicial party commission and they should have time line for cases so that cases will not last in court forever.
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“Another area is national integration, we are familiar with the aspect of state of origin in our public documents. The situation where people live, work but they are discriminated against on basis of state of origin. In accessive privileges which are obtain in a situation where we replace state of origin, state of resident so that when you find work, you and your children can also access the privilege and make sure for better planning with the real population in those areas.
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“We have agreement with state police. We also have agreement with concentration of power with the state. We are also in support of states maximising their resources.
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Earlier, the Chairman of the House Committee, Rt. Hon. George Ozodinobi,
said, “This public hearing provides a vital platform for our voices to be heard and our proposals to be considered in shaping a more perfect union for Nigeria.”
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“We are confident that this constitutional review process, with its emphasis on public engagement, will lead to a more legitimate and widely accepted grundnorm for Nigeria. The South-east is ready to contribute constructively to this endeavor, and we look forward to a future where our constitution truly embodies the aspirations of “we the people”
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“One of the most pressing concerns for the South-east is the issue of equitable
state creation. As it stands, our region is the only one with just five states, while other geopolitical zones have six or seven. This disparity has led to a sense of injustice and underrepresentation. We strongly advocate for the creation of an additional state in the South-east to bring us on par with other regions, thereby ensuring a more balanced and fair federal structure.
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“We note that the National Assembly is currently considering bills for the creation of new states, with some of these bills originating from the South-east, underscoring the widespread desire for this correction”, he added.
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