Choice of the Kano State Impartial Electoral Fee to topic aspirants to obligatory drug check forward of the October 26 statewide native council election is producing ripples among the many political events. Of frequent concern is its lack of authorized footing within the Electoral Act and alleged abuse by the ruling get together, MURTALA ADEWALE stories.
The choice of the Kano State Impartial Electoral Fee (KANSIEC) to conduct drug checks for all candidates contesting October 26 native authorities election is unsettling get together leaders and stakeholders within the state.
Whereas some see the choice as a sensible reply to the clarion name by the President of Nigerian Medical Affiliation (NMA), Uche Ojinmah, and Chairman of Nationwide Drug Legislation Enforcement Company (NDLEA), Gen. Muhammed Buba Marwa, advocating obligatory drug and psychiatric examinations for politicians searching for to occupy public workplaces, different stakeholders consider the choice was to disqualify candidates of the opposition events.
Will probably be recalled that Dr Ojinmah had mentioned that a number of the insurance policies and stage of corruption being reported amongst public workplace holders may solely come from demented minds.
Marwa, who additionally appealed to political events to incorporate drug integrity checks as a part of their screening processes to stop drug addicts gaining access to public funds regretted that cash meant for public companies are being diverted to eat illicit medication.
He mentioned: “For politicians, we’ve got lengthy advocated and I take the chance once more to repeat the advocacy that after they run for public workplace, it calls for a variety of duty from the particular person and we should be sure if he’s an individual that’s already a drug addict/person, who will spend public fund to eat cocaine and his head won’t be in steady situation to deal with the affairs he has been entrusted with.”
The narcotic company had reported that about 14.3 million Nigerians are concerned in drug abuse, with abusers ranging between 15 and 64 years, and extra ladies are actually concerned. Nigeria’s drug prevalence price stood at 15 per cent, virtually tripling the worldwide prevalence price of 5.5 per cent.”
Though NDLEA demographic evaluation indicated these within the prime age and youth among the many majority of those that abuse the illicit substance, different influential personalities and elites within the society aren’t excluded within the alarming figures.
Certainly, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, had in 2017 set a precedent when he canvassed for a legislation that may compel public workplace holders to endure drug checks to establish the state of their psycho-social health.
The priority of the previous Governor of the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) resonated from financial insurance policies and selections being chunked out by public workplace holders within the nation, and the grievous social and financial affect on the residents.
Nigerians aren’t any much less nervous over the psychological stability of some public workplace holders in view of the standard of governance and insurance policies which might be making life insufferable to a median citizen. It’s believed that no chief would intentionally inflict pains on these he took oath to serve, besides such actions are executed below the affect of onerous medication.
It due to this fact segues into KANSIEC’s stance that any aspirant keen to contest each chairmanship and councillorship, however examined optimistic to any unlawful substance, wouldn’t be allowed to buy nomination kind till such particular person undergoes subsequent drug checks and authorized destructive to narcotic substance abuse by NDLEA.
Complying with the state electoral company determination, the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Get together (NNPP) ordered its aspirants for the approaching native authorities election to go for the drug check. The get together was shocked with the outcomes from NDLEA revealing that 20 among the many aspirants offered examined optimistic for opioid (codeine), THC (Tetrahydro hashish, an energetic ingredient for hashish sativa), benzodiazepines and nicotine. Since then, aspirants from each NNPP and opposition events have stopped going for the drug screening.
Curiously, the chairman of the ruling NNPP in Kano State, Hashimu Dungurawa, whose state authorities is in help of the drug screening for the aspirants has rejected NDLEA’s results of the check. Although Dungurawa conceded the validity of NDLEA scientific check, he insisted that such check can not override the ethical values of the NNPP aspirants whose ethical background aren’t doubtful.
Dungurawa mentioned that aspirants offered for drug checks have been discovered morally credible and possess academic {qualifications} to contest the council ballot.
“We have now examined these aspirants right here in our get together headquarters and we discovered them to be sound when it comes to ethical and schooling qualification. We in Kwankwaso promote schooling. We’re not in help of drug abuse. Our coverage in Kwankwaso is in opposition to drug abuse. How can we current a drug addict to contest in our get together,” he insisted.
Additionally reacting, the opposition Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP) mentioned it’s a welcome improvement whereas the Peoples Redemption Get together (PRP) insisted such a coverage could also be detrimental to opposition.
State Secretary of PDP, B. L. Aliyu, opined that the thought of drug check is pertinent not solely to aspirants searching for votes but in addition for all public officer holders to reshape the ills within the system.
Though Aliyu posited that such a choice will redefine the college of high quality management and provides start to good governance throughout all tiers of governments, he nonetheless, regretted that PDP has no candidate to endure drug check as a result of the get together constructions was nonetheless below development.
However his counterpart at PRP, Musa Maigari, insisted the introduction of drug checks was designed by the ruling get together to indict opposition events. He identified that PRP was not and wouldn’t belief NDLEA to hold out such analysis on its candidates.
It was not clear whether or not All Progressives Congress (APC) would topic its candidates to drug checks however the get together has expressed willingness to participate within the conduct of the council ballot. A number of calls and textual content messages put throughout to the state secretary, Zakari Sarina, for inquiry weren’t returned.
Specialists have drawn a big connection between psychological well being of persona in management positions and the standard of insurance policies and selections in any given society. Whereas Nigerians battle with horrible selections on fiscal and social insurance policies from political leaders fighting their psychological well being, the scenario is certain to worsen, if residents fail to establish the psychological well being of these presently searching for votes at native authorities councils.
A psychiatric skilled, Dr Aminu Ibrahim of Aminu Kano Educating Hospital (AKTH), Kano defined excessive tendencies of customers of illicit substances to develop psychological and psychological sickness within the nearest future, nonetheless believed the proportion of those who may undergo the impact are negligible.
He reminded that solely the severity of utilization of narcotic substances will decide the affect on determination making. “We have now seen leaders in developed international locations who suffered psychological well being and nonetheless delivered good governance. However in Africa, our main downside is that our leaders selected to cover the state of their well being.
“Psychological sickness is assessed into delicate customers, extreme, heavy, and habit, however those who principally come down with challenges are a really insignificant share. In fact, each younger particular person taking hashish may have psychological challenges in life.
“But, it not everybody which might be inclined to such situation. In truth, a really negligible % will undergo such affect and so there isn’t any foundation for generalisation. On the analysis being carried out by NDLEA, it’s secure to say the result of the check can not be100 per cent correct,” Dr Ibrahim famous.
The questions wagging many tongues is, would KANSIEC stop the indicted aspirants of the ruling NNPP from contesting? Or would KANSIEC succumb to strain to jettison its guideline on obligatory drug and psychiatric checks as a result of it doesn’t favour some get together?
However what’s the place of electoral legislation on the obligatory psychiatric and narcotic check on the aspirants. What would be the destiny of these examined optimistic to onerous substances?
Responding to those questions, Commissioner in Cost of authorized issues at KANSIEC, Muktar Garba Dandago, mentioned that the rule clearly empowers the fee to display aspirants and is certain to stick to its pointers.
However a Kano-based authorized practitioner, Ibrahim Baba, expressed a opposite opinion. In keeping with hello:, “I’m but to see any legislation that clearly spells out that an aspirant should endure psychiatric analysis or drug check earlier than eligible to contest election.
“Equally, I’ve not seen any legislation that empowers KANSIEC to require psychiatric analysis and drug checks for aspirants earlier than they’ll stand and contest elective positions. What they’re merely doing is placing the cart earlier than the horse.
“What the Structure requires is for somebody to be in sound thoughts and it’s not for the umpire, who is meant to be the referee, to now say you need to show something. NDLEA first got here up with the advice advising the political events to topic their candidate for drug and psychiatric analysis earlier than they’ll contest election.”
The authorized practitioner added: “Now, with the 20 aspirants mentioned to have been examined optimistic for narcotic by NDLEA, at this level you’ll now wonder if the results of the check is sufficient to disqualify aspirants from contesting election. For me, I’ll say no. To this point, the electoral legislation has not been amended, testing optimistic to narcotic is just not sufficient to disclaim anyone from contesting an election.
In truth, no legislation says aspirants ought to submit themselves to NDLEA to conduct drug analysis earlier than they’ll stand any election as a result of the check is just not a part of the certificates to submit.
“So, I felt KANSIEC is standing on the mistaken facet of the legislation and that is the extra motive anyone who is just not comfy with the choice can problem it on the court docket.
And that isn’t to say I’m encouraging drug pushers to take over the mantle of management in our nation however I consider till the Structure is amended, the state electoral company is erred.”
Nevertheless, one other lawyer, Mr Kabir Sanni, disagreed with Dandago’s place. To him, if the 1999 Structure says political workplace holders ought to have sound thoughts, “can we actually say drug addicts have sound minds?”
“It’s time we do what is true in Nigeria, if legal guidelines banned sports activities women and men from utilizing onerous medication, why we’re afraid to cease illicit drug customers from holding public workplaces in Nigeria.”
