Former Lawmaker Seeks Three Political Parties In Future Elections In Nigeria

By Steve Oni, Ilorin

A former lawmaker in the second republic in Kwara State, Chief Woke Oke has recommended the registration of only three political parties by the Independent National Electiral Commission (INEC) in future elections in the country.

According to him, the three political parties would be the parties to be recognised by the commission for national elections while other political parties would be restricted to their local council areas as practised in some other countries of the world.

Chief Wole Oke who was the leader of the defunct Kwara State House of Assembly during the second republic made these suggestions in Ilorin the state capital while answering questions on Playing Host, a Radio Kwara personality interview programme.

The former lawmaker said under such arrangement, political parties who wish to contest at the local government levels would float their parties, lamenting that the present situation in the country where we have the logos of ninety one political parties on the ballot papers were unwieldy.

According to him, even literates find it difficult to identify the logos of the political parties to vote for talk less of the illiterates and elderly electorate.

On the involvement of the military in the process of conducting elections in the country as witnessed in the just concluded elections, Chief Wole Oke who is the Jagunmolu of Shao Kingdom disclosed that the idea of involving the military which he is in support of was to curb the excesses of political parties and plans by some politicians to hijack the political process and seek power by force.

The former lawmaker expressed the hope that the incoming ninth assembly in kwara state would partner with the executive in the interest of the electorate particularly in terms of early passages of budget and relevant bills.
Chief Wole Oke who affirmed that the Minister of Information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed is the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, disclosed that he decided to join the party not because of personal interest but that of his Shao community .

According to him, under the incoming political dispensation in the state, the electorate have the right to call their elected representatives to order anytime they misbehave since they were not sponsored by any individual and more so with the advent of social media and condemned godfatherism in politics but rather political leaders.

The former lawmaker urged all elected politicians to carry the electorate along, keep their ears on the ground and not be arrogant if they care for their future and urged the governor-elect, Alhaji Abdulraman Abdulrazaq to humble himself and appoint people with unquestionable integrity into political positions stressing that if called upon, he was ready to serve his people in any capacity.