Skip to main content

INEC receives 32 fresh applications for registration as political parties

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday in Abuja said it has received 32 applications from various associations for registration as political parties.

The commission, in its daily bulletin, quoted INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosing this during the the second quarterly consultative meeting with the Chairmen and Secretaries of registered political parties.

Yakubu, who said that the applications were being processed, assured political parties that the commission remains committed to the opening up of the democratic space in line with the electoral law and guidelines.

He also disclosed that commission would take further administrative action against its staff found culpable in the alleged involvement of subversion of 2015 General Elections through cash inducement.

“We will not hesitate to interdict staff where prima facie cases have been established against them by EFCC and immediately terminate the appointments of those indicte.”

He said that INEC legal team and the police had successfully secured the conviction of 42 election offenders in the Minjibir Constituency, Kano state, by-election in spite of its severe constraints.

“This is the highest number of convictions in a single case ever achieved by the Commission.”

Yakubu said that the commission would welcome suggestions from political parties in areas of amendment considered important for inclusion in the comprehensive proposal for the amendment of the Electoral Act.

Yakubu, however, decried the low turnout of voters in elections conducted by the Commission in the aftermath of the 2015 General Elections.

He urged political parties to intensify voter mobilization ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

“We urge political parties to intensify your voter mobilization effort in order to galvanize the electorate to the polling units. The Commission will continue to intensify efforts towards voter education.”

He expressed INEC’s desire to see greater participation of the marginalized and under-represented groups in the electoral process, adding that political parties have the biggest role to play in that regard.

“As we all know, political parties offer the only platform for contest to public office under our Constitution.

“Women, Youths and People With Disabilities are noticeable more by their under-representation in elective offices”.

On the deployment of ICT in the electoral process, Yakubu assured that all avenues necessary were being explored to address the challenges arising from the functionality of the Smart Card Reader.

He further said that the Commission had designed a portal from which all registered voters could confirm and verify their registration online ahead of elections.

He added that with the portal voters would also be able to transfer their registration from one point to another online.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...
Post a Comment
Read more