Inec Bars New Parties From 2012 Elections


John Alechenu, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission has foreclosed the registration of new political parties before the governorship elections in some states.


INEC Chairman , Prof. Attahiru Jega

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Governorship polls are scheduled to hold in Kogi State in December 2011 and in Cross River, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Adamawa, Ekiti, Rivers and Ondo states in 2012.

INEC made this position known on Wednesday amid speculations that recently de-registered political parties might seek to re-enter the political turf using new names.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, told our correspondent in Abuja, that while the electoral body was not interested in disenfranchising any individual or group, it was determined to adhere strictly to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.

He said, "Don't forget that we have issued a notice of elections which entails the sequence of activities which require that any party that will partake in the election would have participated and filled those sequences of activities.

"Any party that comes up at the point at which it could not have fulfilled that sequence of activities cannot possibly be eligible for elections.

"For instance, if you notice that collection of forms starts by the 15th of September, any party that will participate in that election ought to collect the forms by the September 15. The last day for the conduct of primaries in Kogi State is September 22,2011.

"So, any party that will participate in the December 3 election in Kogi State must have conducted its primaries by September 22.

"Any organisation that registers as a political party but is not able to have conducted primaries by September 22 cannot be eligible for the election.

"There are other sequence of activities like commencement of campaigns, submission of forms CF01, CFO2 is there and all that."

Idowu also admitted that the issue of substitution of candidates by political parties after primaries would remain controversial for as long as relevant sections of the Electoral Act were not amended.

While Section 31 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) stipulates that "every political party shall, not later than 60 days before the date appointed for a general election under the provisions of this bill, submit to the Commission in the prescribed forms, the list of candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections, provides that INEC shall not reject or disqualify candidates for any reason whatsoever."

The commission is quarrelling with this provision based on what it said was in contravention of powers granted it by section 87.

Section 87 of the Act stipulates the process through which a candidate can be said to have emerged.

INEC is empowered to monitor the process and recognise a candidate who emerges through proper procedure. http://odili.net/news/source/2011/sep/8/814.html

The number of parties make the democracy in Nigeria a child's play. They are just Limited Liability Companies. Good Decision.