- As PDP Reinstates Anyanwu As National Secretary
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has received letters of intent from 110 associations seeking to be registered as political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this, yesterday, in Abuja during the commission’s quarterly media executive meeting.
He said that the commission would, however, treat all requests fairly irrespective of the status of their promoters.
According to him, as at Monday, the commission has received letters of intent from 110 associations that wish to register as political parties.
”We are diligently processing the requests in line with the procedure outlined in the law as well as our regulations and guidelines. ”We have acknowledged all requests received so far, except six received recently which will be done before the end of the week.
”For emphasis, I wish to inform Nigerians, particularly those interested in registering new political parties, that the handbook containing the regulations and guidelines for political parties 2022 is already available on the commission’s website.”
The INEC chairman however denied insinuations in some quarters that the commission was compromising its independence on the status of the association seeking registration.
He recalled that similar unfounded accusation was made in 2013 that the commission was not keen on the proposed merger of political parties because INEC had “merged with the ruling party” at the time.
”For the record, the present commission registered the largest number of political parties in Nigeria and strictly followed the provision of the electoral legal framework.
”In the 2019 general election, there were 91 political parties and 73 presidential candidates. The commission was criticised in some quarters for registering too many political parties.
”After the election, the commission also de-registered over 70 political parties as provided by law. We wish to reassure Nigerians that under the current situation, we will continue to be guided by law and act with fairness to all associations seeking registration as political parties.
”We will treat all requests fairly irrespective of the status of their promoters, be they ordinary or prominent citizens. Nigerians will be fully briefed of the actions taken by the commission every step of the way,” he said.
Yakubu disclosed that the commission would released the full list of the 110 associations seeking registration, their proposed names, acronyms, addresses and names of their protem chairmen and secretaries.
”For transparency and public information, the list will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms shortly, while hard copies are included in your folders for this meeting,” he said.
On the conduct of outstanding by-elections and the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), he said that INEC was now in a position to conduct the by-elections and to resume CVR nationwide.
Speaking on the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils election, the INEC chairman noted that political parties’ primaries for the election ended on June 30, adding that the delineation details for the territory were already available on the commission’s website.
Also speaking on the upcoming Anambra Governorship election scheduled for Aug. 8, Yakubu said that campaign in public by political parties had already commenced since June 11 and would end on Nov. 6.
He reiterated that the commission would continue to update the public on electoral activities, urging the media to monitor electoral and political activities in the FCT and Anambra.
He also appealed to the media for prompt online applications for accreditation for the Anambra Governorship once the process commenced.
In his remarks, the President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya commended INEC for the regular media engagement and efforts by the commission to improve elections in the country.
He assured INEC of continued media support while appealing to the commission to prioritise journalists’ safety in the upcoming governorship election in Anambra State
Meanwhile the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reinstated Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as its National Secretary.
Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, disclosed this at a news conference at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.
Damagum described Anyanwu’s reinstatement as the national secretary as a bitter pill that PDP had to swallow.
He recalled that yesterday (Tuesday), when PDP leaders rose from a meeting with INEC, they promised to meet with party stakeholders and make known their decisions on issues discussed at the meeting.
“We met with some of our governors, the PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman, the BOT and the caucus of the National Assembly, and after an extensive meeting, where critical issues were discussed, we were able to identify our problems.
We have decided to abide by their advice, especially as we have a very important election before us, that is the FCT election and we are running out of time. So, we have no option but to abide by the decision.
“After due consultations and everything, we thought it’s a bitter pill and we have to swallow it.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on all our party faithful to know that it was a difficult decision, but the survival of the party is more than all of us, more than everything that you feel that you know and yearn for,” he said.
The acting national chairman also disclosed that the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting earlier scheduled for June 30 had been suspended.
Our correspondent reports that in attendance at the meeting, alongside Damagum, were the Chairman PDP Governors’ Forum, Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Abba Moro.
Other included: former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, former Governor of Bayelsa, Sen. Seriake Dickson, National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, and House of Representatives Minority Leader, Hon Kingsley Chinda, among others.
