The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has again lamented the growing impunity and lack of internal democracy within political parties, saying the Judiciary was confronted with about 809 pre-election cases stemming from disagreements regarding the conduct of party primaries.
So far, INEC has withdrawn 64 Certificates of Return from winners in both Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this in Abuja Monday, while presenting Certificates of Return to the governor-elect of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed Mutawalle, his deputy, three senators-elect, and seven House of Representatives members-elect, all under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
Yakubu spoke against the backdrop of Friday’s Supreme Court judgment which invalidated the election of candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a result of improper conduct of primaries.
“I want to reiterate the importance of conducting proper primaries before elections in order to reduce the spate of litigation associated with them. At the moment, there are 809 pre-election cases pending in various courts across the country challenging the conduct of primaries by political parties for the 2019 general elections.
”This is clearly more than the total number of petitions currently before the various election petition tribunals nationwide challenging the outcome of the main elections.
“In our last update, the commission reported that 25 Certificates of Return had been withdrawn and issued to persons declared winners by courts of law. Since then, three more certificates have been withdrawn by court order.
”With the Zamfara case, the figure has now risen to 64. In addition, the commission is studying nine more judgments we were served in the last one week in which primary elections conducted by different political parties were upturned by the courts,” he said.
Yakubu, however, conceded that the Zamfara example was not the first pre-election case determined by the Supreme Court arising from the recent party primaries as the apex court had determined the case of Lere Federal Constituency in Kaduna State which the commission had already complied with and issued the certificate of return to the winner.
He said: “It is, therefore, important to continue to emphasise to our political parties their obligation to conduct credible primaries for the nomination of candidates.
”Our democracy in particular and electoral process in general can never be virile unless political parties rise to the challenge of internal party democracy. It is in this context that the latest judgements of the Supreme Court are crucial steps in strengthening our electoral jurisprudence.
Conditions for accepting candidates
“Going forward, we will not accept the submission of names of candidates by political parties under Sec. 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) unless there is evidence, monitored by the commission, of compliance with the provision of Sec. 87 of the Act.
”Party members interested in contesting elections start as aspirants before they emerge as candidates through the democratic process of direct or indirect primaries enshrined in Sec. 87 of the Electoral Act.
”It is only after they comply with this requirement of the law can their names be submitted to INEC under Sec. 31. We shall continue to work with the political parties to ensure strict compliance.
“Let me once again remind political parties that we have exactly 171 days to the Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections scheduled for November 16, 2019. Party primaries are scheduled to be conducted between August 2 and 29, 2019.
”Let us make the two elections shining examples of internal democracy by the way the political parties conduct their primary elections. This will no doubt have a positive impact on the conduct of the proper elections.”
Responding on behalf of the elected officials, Matawalle promised to deliver on his mandate, and advised political parties to play by the rules and ensure internal democracy.
He also praised INEC, the judiciary and President Muhammadu Buhari for adhering to the rule of law.
