Ondo election: INEC tasks political parties on good conduct
- INEC has called on political parties in Ondo state to ensure a hitch-free election
- The electoral umpire disclosed this during an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) workshop
- It said that this will help prevent inconclusive election
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has urged political parties to create enabling atmosphere for a free, fair, credible and conclusive election in Ondo state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governorship election in the state is scheduled for Oct. 10.
Mrs Antonia Okoosi-Simbine, National Commissioner/Chairperson, Election and Party Monitoring Committee, INEC, gave the advice in Akure on Friday.
It was during an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), workshop for registered political parties in the forthcoming governorship election.
Okoosi-Simbine explained that political parties played key roles by ensuring that their members were of good conduct during and after elections to prevent an inconclusive election due to violence or other vices.
According to her, parties should play very important roles in peace building architecture which is key to promoting desired peace that engenders the protection of lives and property in the electoral process.
“As key actors in dispute resolution, you will learn that conflicts arising from the competitive processes in all stages of the electoral cycle are anticipated, and can be skillfully managed.
“This is necessary in order to avoid the undesirable effects of escalation leading to inability to file nominations or do so on time, cancellation of elections/loss of victory, etc.
“In other words, ADR affords you the opportunity and capacity to effectively and quickly address electoral disputes before, during and after elections without compromising the rights of parties and those of their members who want to go to court,” she said.
Earlier, Mr Hamza Fassi-Fihri, Project Coordinator, European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), said the political parties, as primary actors, were better placed to promote ADR on intra and inter party issues.
Fassi-Fihri, who explained that conflicts and disputes were inherent in elections because of its competitive nature, said that ADR could save the electoral process the inconvenience of recurring litigations.
“While the courts and tribunals offer a more formal platform for adjudication of election complaints, ADR provides a more efficient, cost effective and mutually satisfying avenue for resolution of election cases.
“The pattern and frequency of the disputes have profound implications not only for the smoothness of electoral operations but also for acceptability of its outcomes,” he said.
Source: Twitter
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that with less than three weeks to the Ondo guber poll, INEC said Z-pad used during the Edo state governorship election for the transmission of Polling Units (PUs) results would be deployed to the state.
This was disclosed on Thursday, September 24, by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman during a media interaction in Akure, The Nation reports.
The INEC chairman explained that the commission has already moved the Z-pads from its state office in Benin City to Akure.
Legit.ng also reported that ahead of the forthcoming election in Ondo state, INEC has ordered the replacement of over 5,000 card readers that were destroyed in the fire at its headquarters in Akure.
The commission said 6,000 smart card readers would be transferred from its Oyo state office for the conduct of the October 10 poll in Ondo.
The INEC’s spokesperson, Festus Okoye, said on Thursday, September 17, in Akure that an order had been given for replacement from Oyo state.
Similarly, INEC expressed readiness to conduct a smooth gubernatorial election in Ondo just like it did in Edo state.
This promise was made by INEC's national chairman during his three-day visit to Akure, Ondo state capital to assess the preparedness of the commission's staff members ahead of the poll.
Edo election: Yiaga lists 13 potential flashpoints of violence | - on Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
