…To Commence Verification of Party’s Physical Locations.
By Michael Odiah
The Administrative Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Delta State, Mrs Rose Oriaran Anthony has called on political party leaders in the State to encourage party faithfuls and their grassroots supporters to register for their Voter’s Card at the nearest INEC Registration centers.
Mrs Anthony gave this charge during an interactive session with the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Delta State chapter at the State INEC headquarters in Asaba on Monday, January 29, 2018, were she also informed the political party leaders of the plans of the commission to commence physical verification of all political parties in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.
She disclosed that the verification exercise which will also address the issue of non-submission of contact address, authentic phone numbers, email address, party constitution and certificates of registration, is borne out of the unprofessional and in-organised activities of political parties in the state which the commission would like defaulting parties to rectify.
The Administrative Secretary further said that political parties who go ahead to flaunt their own party constitutions on Congresses and Primaries, invariably hurt the electoral process adding that the intention of the commission to embark on a physical verification of political parties in the state and its executive offices, which is to commence on 30th January 2018, is meant to enable INEC know where their offices are located in the State capital and to ease reach out operations when the need arises.
Anthony also reminded the party leaders of how INEC came into existence by the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended, which empowered the Commission to “monitor the Organization and Operation of Political Parties including their Finances, Convention, Congresses and Political Primaries, also taking cognizance of the electoral act 2010 as amended which also gives relevant provisions on the monitoring capabilities of the commission, adding that these laws have not been absolutely adhered to taking cognizance of pre-planned Congress of political parties, which do not meet due requirements and are also not witnessed by the commission’s monitoring teams.
Meanwhile, the Delta State chairman of IPAC, Mr Fred Obi has said that it is unfortunate that some parties did not attend the interactive session with INEC, which was meant to engineer a more robust synergy with the Commission and political parties in the state as concerns 2019 general elections and beyond.
Obi who expressed displeasure with the absence of representatives from the PDP and APC, however, noted that the session was a huge success as the party leaders have been mandated to go back home to their drawing boards and ensure that the needful is done to the itemized issues raised during the session.
On the trending comments of adoption of electronic voting in the coming general elections, the IPAC Chairman revealed that the INEC Administrative Secretary has debunked it, saying that the former voting system will still be used.
