Onyekachi Eze 
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has recommended the establishment of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, whose responsibility is to regulate party operations, promote internal democracy, and enforce party discipline.
Jonathan, who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a political roundtable organised by Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, stated that though Nigeria has made notable progress since its return to democratic rule, the nation’s electoral system still faces significant challenges.
The former president, who was represented by Ms. Ann Iyonu, the Executive Director, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, said if truly Nigeria is committed to democracy, it must be bold enough to reform the process to reflect the will of the people and the principles of justice, accountability, and inclusion.
“First, we must address the growing crisis of political party indiscipline. Parties are the foundation of any democracy, but in our context, they have become vulnerable to opportunism and instability,” Jonathan noted.
He expressed worry at the growing tide of defections by elected members and elected officials from the parties under which they were elected, “often without ideological justification or accountability to the electorate.”
To remedy the situation, Jonathan stated that the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties should have the power to declare the seat of any defector vacant.
“This reform would affirm the principle that the electoral mandate belongs to the people and not to individual ambition,” he added.
The former president also stated that in order to ensure the neutrality and competence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there should be an independent screening and nomination body for the Chairman of the commission.
The body, according to him, should comprise representatives from the judiciary, civil society, academia, and professional bodies.
“This body would be tasked with vetting and recommending a shortlist of qualified candidates, from which the President may appoint the Chairman.
“This reform will reduce perceptions of bias, promote public trust in INEC, and enhance the legitimacy of its decisions,” he said.
Jonathan further recommended that all post-election litigations, especially those relating to the final outcomes of elections, should be concluded before the swearing-in of elected officials.
He stated that “it creates confusion and undermines governance when candidates with unresolved election cases assume office, only to later be removed by the courts. This undermines the authority of the office and the credibility of the electoral process.
“We must adopt a framework that compels the timely resolution of electoral disputes, possibly with specially designated election tribunals and timelines that align with the electoral calendar. Justice delayed in elections is justice denied, not just for the candidates, but for the electorate.”
Executive Director, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr. Sam Amadi, called for a constitutional amendment to prohibit individuals from being appointed as INEC Chairman, Commissioner, or Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) if they held a party leadership position in the last five years preceding the appointment.
Amadi also recommended that the appointees should be barred from holding party membership, serving in party positions, or occupying appointive political offices for five years after their tenure.
He added that to enhance transparency and accountability in the electoral process through the use of technology, the electronic transmission of polling unit results to a secure, publicly accessible INEC portal should be made mandatory
He also said electoral officers and witnesses must be mandated to sign results immediately after voting, and such polling unit results would be released immediately after counting and signing to the public and uploaded on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal by the electoral officer.
Dr. Amadi further recommended that the INEC collation officer should nullify any polling unit results not transmitted electronically to the IReV portal immediately after the counting of votes.
