The Independent National Electoral Commission has said the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party are guilty of breaching the law restraining parties from embarking on campaigns until 90 days to elections.
Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), stipulates: “For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.”
Recently, the APC had accused President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the PDP, of flouting the rules on campaign during a political rally in Enugu. And the PDP had, in return, accused the APC of violating the campaign Act.
While reacting to News Making Round to enquire on the controversy, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said, “The commission has observed this (illegal campaigns) and we have said it before, all parties are guilty.
“People make electoral statements in churches, in mosques, everywhere across the parties. When parties accuse one another and want to make INEC a tool to be used, that is not being fair to INEC as an impartial regulatory body.
“The position of the commission is that parties are in breach across board. And that is why we have been using moral suasion to say they are breaking these rules. It is in their interest that the games be played by the rules.”
He also explained that the issue was discussed at the recently-concluded quarterly meeting between INEC and political parties.
Idowu said, “At the last quarterly meeting we held with political parties, they all said, since the law is a bit grey about what exactly constitutes campaign, INEC should come up with regulations specifying the kind of activities that can be taken to be electioneering pre-emptive campaign.’”
He however said not every political activity could be classified as campaign, stressing that political parties were created to conduct political activities.
The spokesman listed some of the activities to include: rallies, mobilisation of members/ membership drives.
“The question is, what exactly is a campaign? That is what the political parties requested INEC to do at the last quarterly meeting.
“We are working on a guideline. The guidelines will be finalised in consultation with the political parties.”
SOURCE PUNCH