INEC Charges Political Parties to Respect Court Orders, Electoral Guidelines Ahead of 2023
- A group known as Guardian of Democracy and Rule of law has encouraged INEC to stand firm in the defence of Nigeria's democracy
- Leaders of the group made the statement after leading a procession to the commission's national headquarters in Abuja
- The group also commended the leadership of INEC refusing to bend its rules for any political party in the country
FCT, Abuja - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged political parties and their stakeholders to obey court orders and statutory guidelines in their conduct ahead of the 2023 general elections.
INEC secretary, Rose Oriaran Anthony said this while receiving a letter from a group known as Guardian of Democracy and Rule of law who were organised a solidarity rally to the commission over the recently signed 2022 electoral law.
Source: Facebook
The secretary who received the letter on behalf of the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, assured the activists that INEC as a law-abiding commission will continue to respect the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the judiciary in particular in all her undertakings.
She also promised that all the contents of the letter will be strictly adhered to.
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The convener of the group, Chris Ukpai who presented the letter said events that culminated in the signing into law of the 2022 Electoral Act, signals a beautiful beginning for Nigerians towards entrenching and sustaining its nascent democracy.
He said the implication of the coming on board of the new electoral act signifies that moving forward, Nigeria's democratic institutions would be strengthened, and elections would be credible, free, and fair.
Ukpai said the peaceful march to INEC is intended to drive home the point that Nigeria and Nigerians are deserving of credible leadership, and this could only be achieved if the electoral umpire stays true to its name by ensuring that the votes of the people count.
His words:
“We all know the tendencies of political parties in the country to want to bend the rules. We all know how in some instances, their first point of call is usually to INEC staff and officials.
“And we all know that once that is achieved, the rest becomes history as we would be subjected to the whims and caprices of selfish and greedy people who are bent on denying Nigerians the dividends of democracy.
“However, we are glad that with the coming of the 2022 electoral act, the message from INEC so far has been impressive and noteworthy.
“We are also pleased that INEC, under the chairmanship of Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, has displayed an uncompromising stance in the conduct of elections across the country.
“We believe the 2023 general elections would follow the same pattern that would deliver one of the country's best elections in our history.”
Ukpai further urged staff of INEC to feel assured that the civil society will continue to defend them and speak for them, hence the need for them not to entertain any form of fear or intimidation in the discharge of their duties.
2023: INEC’s closure of party registration may affect ‘Third Force’
Meanwhile, the move by some politicians to launch new political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections appears to have ended as INEC has suspended the registration of new parties until after the polls.
A top official of INEC said the commission did not deliberately shut the registration window against the third force, but only acted as prescribed by the law, saying:
“A new party cannot join as you know that the new law speaks in respect to that.”
2023: Operators of private jets charter experience boom ahead of polls
In a related development, private jet charter businesses in Nigeria is currently experiencing a boom due to political activities across the country.
With the 2023 general elections coming on stream and preparations of election into states and national offices on top gear, the political class has started making use of the aviation sub-sector again.
Since normal scheduled flights may not fit into their itineraries, politicians now resort to private jet charters to move across the country as it enables them to fulfil strict schedules and often complete multiple meetings in different cities and countries.
Source: Legit.ng
