INEC laments rising costs, disruptions from acrimonious primaries, waivers for defectors

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has voiced concerns over the escalating costs of its operational expenses and disruptions caused by frequent changes in proposed dates and modes of primaries for political parties, as well as the arbitrary granting of waivers for defectors.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made these remarks during the first regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties for 2024 held in Abuja.

Yakubu highlighted that the commission has incurred significant expenses due to the need to mobilize, demobilize, and remobilize officials for monitoring party primaries, especially following last-minute changes as witnessed in the Edo primaries. He urged political parties to adhere strictly to their proposed dates and modes of primaries to ensure certainty and optimal deployment of resources.

The chairman also expressed concerns over the trend of acrimonious primaries, parallel primaries, and the emergence of multiple candidates, which often lead to unnecessary litigation.

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He particularly criticized the practice of granting waivers to candidates who were recently members of other political parties, noting that such infractions consume legal fees and resources that could be used more productively in other electoral activities.

He said that the legal fees and cost of producing Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents can be used more productively in other electoral activities by both the political parties and the commission.

Regarding the upcoming Edo State Governorship election scheduled for Saturday, September 21, Yakubu announced that only six political parties have uploaded the particulars of their candidates on the INEC portal so far. He emphasized that there would be no extension beyond the deadline of March 24th, urging parties to avoid last-minute rushes.

For the Ondo State Governorship election scheduled for Saturday, November 16, Yakubu stated that party primaries will begin on April 6. He noted that 16 out of 19 political parties have indicated interest in participating in the election.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) attributed political party crises to godfathers and emphasized that such disputes should be resolved internally without police involvement.

The National Chairman of IPAC, who is also the Chairman of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Yusuf Dantalle, while responding, said the political party leadership dispute is strictly an internal affair of that party that should be resolved amicably, devoid of police harassment, embarrassment, intimidation, and brutality.