A former governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi Thursday called for re-engineering of the electoral system in Nigeria to correct the noticeable anomalies in the system.
Delivering a lecture with the theme: “The future and challenges of the Nigerian Nation” delivered in commemoration of the 80th birthday anniversary of Ambassador Yemi Farounbi in Ibadan, Dr Fayemi frowned at the nation’s adopted electoral policy of winner takes all.
The former governor said there is need for alternative politics as a wholesale reform of our political system.
“If we are interested in the codification of a system of alternative politics that is consensual and developmental, then perhaps the argument to put forward, as a first step, is that our electoral system may need to be re-engineered away from the current majoritarian “winner takes all” model,” he said.
Dr Fayemi added: “With the three major parties winning almost an equal number of states and the eventual winner garnering 37 percent of the total vote cast in the presidential elections, it does not require much to see that this is a recipe for the inevitability of instability.
“I think it’s time to begin to look in the direction of what’s commonly known as proportional representation in place of this inadequate and conflictual first past the post electoral system.”
Dr. Fayemi added: “My notion of proportional representation is that each be included on the basis of performance in the national election. This will still guarantee that the winner of the election still leads the government, but it will not be a winner- take- all system.”
