Campaigns: Parties violating INEC code of conduct

Posted by admin Elections 2011 Saturday, March 5th, 2011

Less than a month to the general elections, major political parties are violating the Independent National Electoral Commission’s rules on campaigns.

Investigations by our correspondent on Friday in Abuja showed that political parties had been violating INEC’s rules on the conduct of political parties at campaigns.

But the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said that any political party, whose rights were violated, should petition the commission.

He said INEC would forward the petition to the appropriate agency that would look into the grievances of such a party.

Commenting on violence at rallies, Idowu stated that INEC was concerned about security before and during the elections.

This, he said, informed the setting up of a committee comprising all the security agencies. He stated that a meeting of the committee was held on Thursday, adding that the commission was committed to free and fair elections.

He said, “But everything has to do with the mind-set of the people. We have held a meeting with traditional rulers, who are very influential. Politicians should realise that elections are not do-or-die affairs.”

At a retreat in Calabar on February 26, 2011, the political parties and the commission had agreed on a code of conduct, which would be a guide during campaigns and elections.

Parts of the rules read, “No political party or candidate shall use its power of incumbency to prevent other parties or candidates from pasting their posters or distributing their leaflets, handbills and other publicity materials in public places.

“All political parties shall take necessary steps to coordinate their campaign activities in such a way as to avoid holding rallies, meetings, marches or demonstrations close to one another at the same time.

“All parties shall file with the commission details of their public rallies and meetings in any particular area before such a meeting.

“All parties shall separate party business from government business. As such, parties shall not utilise public resources for party activities and shall not permit any of its sponsored candidates holding public office to use public resources for the purpose of political campaigning in elections.”

Investigations showed that contrary to the Electoral Act, incumbents have been using government facilities to campaign.

Besides the pockets of violence at campaigns in some parts of the country, opposition parties have accused the Peoples Democratic Party of denying them the opportunity to campaign.

Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State had in a broadcast in Abakaliki on Wednesday, said that he disallowed the All Nigeria Peoples Party from holding a rally because of the party chairman, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who is from the state.

He accused Onu of having a nefarious agenda to pull down the present administration in the state by causing a breakdown of law and order.

In Benue State, the Action Congress of Nigeria was denied access to the IBB Public Square, Makurdi, where it wanted to hold its presidential campaign.

The spokesman for the party’s presidential candidate, Ibrahim Modibo, said that the rally was shifted to Gboko as a result of the denial.

But the spokesman for the Benue State governor, Cletus Akwaya, denied the allegation.

-Punchwp_posts