Independent National Electoral Commission ((INEC) Has Rebuked Former Minister Of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, For Flouting Electoral Laws On Timing Of Political Campaigns. Prof. Gana had boasted that his party will give the ‘best health programmes’ to Nigerians if elected into office in 2019 while addressing participants at the event.
However, Mustapha Lekki, a representative of the INEC, at a town hall meeting on politics and healthcare delivery organised by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to kick start its 58th Annual Delegates Meeting and Scientific Conference, found fault with Gana. Lekki slammed the former PDP chieftain, who recently defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) noting “how politicians flout electoral laws with impunity”. Prof Gana, who was the chairman of the occasion, said his new party has a robust plan on health in its manifesto that will give, “other political parties a run for their money”.
“If by the grace of God, the SDP is given the privilege to preside over the affairs of this country, you can be rest assured that this health act will be implemented in full,” he said. But the INEC took Prof Gana to task stressing politicians have little or no regard to schedules. “The INEC has set a timetable since January this year and the timetable contains when political party campaign should start and when it should end. For the record, no campaign can start before December 18. “But now we come to forums like this and people make speeches that amount to party campaign.
This is breaking the rules, but we’ll hold them to account? “It is gross impunity! We just set the rule but we don’t follow them. INEC has set a timetable and people disregard it and there no consequences,” Mr Lekki said. Section 99 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), states, “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.”
The INEC rep also listed some challenges the electoral body is facing ahead of 2019. “Trust deficit’ is one of the issues. We don’t trust ourselves and it has severe implications.
We have spent a lot in election technology since 2011 all to have a fair election all because of lack of trust.
“In some countries, things we call sensitive materials are freely giving out on the streets by political parties but I’ve been in elections in this country where we have gunboats escorting election materials and you can imagine the cost,” Lekki said.
