INEC to reject candidates of parties without structures in states

• Again, New PDP urges Jonathan to drop 2015 bid

FROM the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) came Tuesday a threat to sanction political parties which field candidates for state elections without having either an interim state executive committee or organising congresses to elect officers.

  The commission frowned at the manner in which parties without any form of administrative structure in the states rush to field candidates in elections. It warned that it would no longer accept the nomination of any candidate for elective positions from any political party that has no recognised structure in the states.

  Meanwhile, the Abubakar Baraje-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) splinter group has pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan not to seek re-election in 2015.

  In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the group said if Jonathan drops his alleged re-election bid, he would automatically become a statesman.

  Also, another group, “The PDP Technocrats Forum,” has demanded that “Baraje and his New PDP apologize to Nigerians for the bold face lie that the Federal Government has withdrawn the diplomatic passports of members of the National Assembly.”

  In a statement in Abuja, the Director-General of the Forum, Mr. Sam Etiosa, said “it was not enough to withdraw the statement in which the false allegation was made,” but that “only an apology to Nigerians for the attempted deceit will show that there is genuine remorse for the misleading claim.”

  Speaking at the third quarterly meeting of INEC and representatives of the 25 registered political parties, the commission’s chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, urged them to ensure that they conduct ward, local council and state congresses to establish their executives before nominating any candidate to run on their platforms at elections.

  Jega disclosed that only three, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), have submitted the list of their state executives to the commission. He urged the newly-registered political parties as well as the old ones whose state and local council executives have expired to facilitate the liaison work of the commission by providing it with the list of their interim state and local council executives.

  The INEC boss also informed the parties of the determination of the electoral body to effectively implement the provision of Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010, which limits campaign periods to start 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours to polling day. He warned that the commission will not hesitate to penalise any political party that breaches that section of the Electoral Act.

  He added: “In particular, we urge you to do anything possible to sanitise the polity. You must have an enlightened self-interest because deepening and sustaining our democracy is in the best interest of all politicians, as it is for all citizens. You must stop over-heating the polity and continue to promote peaceful conduct and civility in political engagements and electioneering. And you must stop the rising tendency towards thuggery in campaigns and elections as experienced in the recent bye- election in Jigawa where we saw disruption of the election process caused by thuggery.

  “Political parties are reminded to be mindful of provision 99 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, which limits campaign period to commence 90 days before poll and end 24 hours to the polling day.

  “More importantly, political parties are urged to conduct wards, local council and state congresses to have established executive at all levels. The newly-registered political parties as well as the existing ones, whose state executive committees have expired, must facilitate the liaison work at the commission with the list of interim executive committees at state and local council levels respectively. Political parties are therefore urged to support our democratic growth by restricting their quest for elective offices to areas they have institutional presence.”

  Etiosa called on Nigerians to “question the motives of the so called New PDP,” as “they have shown a propensity for disseminating falsehood starting with the claim that the Presidency intended to sponsor the impeachment of the leadership of the National Assembly.”

  He added: “This is another attempt by this group to throw mud and hoping that one will stick. The more they speak, the more Nigerians see there are no genuine motives behind this artificial crisis which is why they have not gained any public support. So they have resorted to peddling falsehood to achieve this.”

  Etiosa enjoined “Nigerians to beware as these were clear signs of desperation by a group that cannot clearly define what it is they are looking for.”