SWL Raises Alarm On Suspicious Bills At The National Assembly

The Socialist Workers and Youth League (SWL) has strongly condemned what it has described as the wave of suspicious bills being hurried through the National Assembly, warning that these legislative actions pose a serious threat to democracy and the welfare of Nigeria’s working masses.

The group expressed deep concern that the current administration is actively shrinking democratic space and pushing laws that could further impoverish and silence ordinary Nigerians.

In a statement signed by Jamiu Towolawi, National Chairperson, and Amara Nwosu, National Secretary, the SWL said, “The numerous bills being pushed for accelerated reading by the National Assembly call for a reflection on the implication for the working masses in Nigeria. The questionable agenda behind these bills will have a far-reaching impact on the wellbeing of the working people.”

The group pointed to the recent Cybercrimes Act as a key example. According to the statement, “Just recently, the Cybercrimes Act was passed to control and undermine the freedom of speech in Nigeria under the guise of preventing cybercrimes. But recent events have shown that this law was promulgated by the regime not necessarily to combat crime but to silence Nigerians speaking against the misrule by the President Bola Tinubu-led APC regime.”

SWL also criticised two new proposed bills that seek to create a national local government electoral commission and strip the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its constitutional powers to register and regulate political parties. The group described the motivations behind these bills as contradictory and politically motivated. “It is simply illogical to claim that another commission would be created to manage party affairs for credibility reasons while trusting another electoral commission to conduct local government elections,” the statement read.

The organisation questioned the centralising motive behind the bills, warning that they would hand too much power to the presidency. “We are therefore suspicious that the bills are sponsored to cement the already overbearing centralised power of the presidency. Any government interested in conducting free and fair elections would prioritise improving the efficiency, transparency and credibility of the already existing electoral commission rather than duplicating several other commissions that will run on the tax of impoverished Nigerians for no tangible results,” the SWL said.

Addressing another proposed bill on the creation of state and local government police, the SWL described it as both contradictory and dangerous. “The same assembly that cannot trust states’ electoral commissions to conduct free and fair local government elections without states’ governments’ influence is pushing to empower the same state governments with their own standing police,” the statement noted.

The SWL warned that establishing local policing could become a tool of oppression. “We consider the police force by its history and character an instrument of oppression against the civil space. The creation of state and local government police will only empower the authorities at these levels to wield the police power to suppress opposition voices,” it added.

The group stressed that more policing is not the solution to Nigeria’s security crisis. “The annual increase in the allocation to security and national defence over the years without commensurate improvement in the worsening insecurity crises prove that local or even community police cannot solve the security question in Nigeria,” it said, adding that, “A serious government would be interested in lifting the mass of people out of poverty, improving the quality of education with accessibility to all Nigerians while engendering economic policies that put the masses above the interest of a few billionaire ‘business class’.”

The statement also criticised another bill proposing six special seats in the House of Representatives for undefined “special interest groups.” According to SWL, “The character and attributes that define these special interest groups call for a national probing. We demand that these bills be made accessible to all Nigerians for scrutiny before further process.”

While the SWL acknowledged the potential value of including truly marginalised voices in governance, it warned against political manipulation. “While it may be lauded if the interest groups would mean the marginalised and oppressed Nigerians, it cannot be ruled out that the lawmakers are merely putting forward another item on the ruling class’ agenda, to continue their marginalisation of the poor masses,” the organisation concluded.

SWL urged civil society, labour unions, youth groups, and all progressive forces to stay vigilant and speak out. “These are not just laws; they are instruments to either liberate or further enslave us. We must not be silent.”
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