PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES: CSOs CALL ON INEC TO ENFORCE ITS REGULATORY POWERS

By: Valentine Adese (JP),

As Nigerians are collectively striving to build democratic institutions that would promote balanced and accelerated development, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in order for a Transparent and Rules-Based Presidential Convention by political parties to hold, have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce its regulatory powers against political parties that contravenes the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and its guidelines before, during and after party primaries.

This call is contained in a press statement titled, “Civil Society Organizations Call for Transparent, Rules-Based Presidential Convention by political parties” signed by 7 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Namely: Yiaga Africa, AfriPeace, CISLAC, Transition  Monitoring Group, Centre for the Advocacy of Justice and Rights, Women in Nigeria and Zero Corruption Coalition.

The CSOs stated that, they are calling on INEC and the political parties to do the needful because of the strategic importance of fair and credible primaries in engendering positive democratic externalities within the context of the forthcoming civilian-to-civilian transition process in Nigeria and also because the country and its citizens are eagerly awaits for the emergence of the Presidential flag bearers of most political parties.

The CSOs also reaffirm their earlier demand that, candidates must, among other things, emerge from credible, rules-based primaries in line with democratic standards, while adding that, “Manipulated and stage-managed primaries remain antithetical to democratic ideals and must be prevented to the barest minimum”.

The signatories, called on political parties yet to nominate Presidential candidates to ensure they deliver Presidential Conventions that are not free and fair in the theoretical or abstract sense, but in terms of intrinsic transparency and accountability in its accreditation, voting, and collation process, while calling on political parties to collaborate with relevant law enforcement agencies to curtail the rather asinine monetization of the nomination process.

They demanded that, “The so-called ‘dollar rain’ needs to be brought to a definitive end, and delegates sensitized on the necessity of voting their conscience over primordial and pecuniary considerations.

“All political parties must consequently safeguard the sanctity of the secret ballot system by institutionalizing binding transparency, anti-inducement and trust engendering measures that reinforces the confidence of all stakeholders in the primary election process.

“Such confidence on the electoral process will further be bolstered through more robust mechanisms such as banning of handheld devices in the voting booths, accreditation of delegates, through the use of national identity cards, passports, driver’s licence or voter’s card as credible means of identification for the purposes of accreditation”.

Lamenting on the existing situation in political parties concerning the conduct of their party primaries, the CSOs stated that, “The role of money as evident in the purchase of party nomination forms and the inducement of delegates as witnessed in the conduct of primaries by political parties represents an ugly trend that is undermining the credibility and integrity of the electoral processes.

“These are clear violations of the electoral act, which requires INEC, the police and the judiciary to act in ways that will enhance accountability and check impunity”.