INEC issues code of conduct to parties, says no grant this year
From Emmanuel Onwubiko, Abuja
COPIES of the Code of Conduct in elections in the country were yesterday presented to all the 30 political parties by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Abel Guobadia.
However, it was accompanied by some-not-so-good news as Guobadia disclosed that there would be no grant for the political parties this year.
Speaking at a parley organised by the commission with the registered political parties, Guobadia declared: "Between 2001 and 2003, the political parties/INEC consultative forum developed a code of conduct to guide the conduct of political campaigns with a view to avoiding violence and ensuring a level-playing field for all contestants in the electoral process. Happily, the code of conduct was subscribed to by all the political parties before the 2003 general elections. Printed copies of the code will be circulated to all the political parties."
Though the chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, and its Secretary-General, Maxi Okwu, were absent at the parley, most opposition political parties were present. Alliance for Democracy (AD) was represented by its two factions with Manzo Abubakar standing in for Senator Akinfenwa's group.
The INEC chairman expressed optimism that the electoral process will be better when all suggested reforms are implemented. "For the few states yet to hold such seminars, I urge you, the political leaders at the national level, to encourage your state party leaders to attend and participate fully," he added.
Guobadia, who pleaded with the political parties groaning under severe dearth of operational funds to actively co-operate with the electoral body, also asserted that the political parties and the commission have a joint responsibility of ensuring the sustenance of a peaceful and virile democratic nation.
"This responsibility calls for a close and harmonious working relationship between all political parties and the commission. Therefore with most of the shortcomings articulated and solutions proffered, the time is right, the commission thinks, for the commencement of the programme of regular meetings similar to those of 1999 to 2003. We therefore intend to make this particular meeting a general briefing session."
On the planned electoral reforms, Guobadia said recommendations from previous seminars have been gathered into a form of two draft bills, one to contain all the reforms which can be effected within the scope of the present constitution, and the second to contain all the reforms, which require amendments to the constitution.
The commission, according to Guobadia, will present the two draft bills to the executive and legislative authorities and will simultaneously give copies to the political parties.
The INEC chieftain, however, dashed the hopes of the 30 political parties on the issue of yearly grant which is constitutionally guaranteed when he said: "In the 2004 budget proposals of the commission to the government, the commission requested for N600 million as grants to the political parties. We followed up the request at the hearing with a strong case, stressing the importance of the grants to the political parties. Regrettably, the 2004 Appropriation Act made no provision for this grant."
"The commission itself suffered serious budget reduction in the 2004 Appropriation Act. We proposed over N800 million for overhead costs but only N7 million was provided in the budget. This under-funding has seriously limited the ability of the commission to perform its vital tasks and meet its inescapable obligations."
Guobadia also announced that the commission has completed political parties' finance manual, which will provide the political parties with information and guidelines on matters relating to funding limits, their sources of funds, expenditure limits and instructions on how to complete the necessary reporting forms and how to keep accurate financial records."
The commission's chairman also disclosed that the private auditors appointed by the commission had difficulties in locating the political parties' offices, adding that most of the political parties did not co-operate with the auditors.
"A few auditors also alleged that some of the political parties did not extend the necessary co-operation required of them to facilitate the assignment of examining their account books and records. We appeal to them to co-operate with the auditors so that the exercise of auditing the accounts of all the political parties can be brought to a speedy conclusion."
In addition, INEC directed the political parties to comply with the provisions of section 79(1) of the Electoral Act by publishing their campaign expenses. Section 79(1) of the Electoral Act stipulates that: "Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, the statement relating to the election expenses of a political party as prescribed in section 84 of this Act shall be submitted to the commission in separate audited accounts as in the prescribed form not later than 90 days from the day of the election."
The commission also announced that the voters' register already prepared is printed in two million pages. "A single register of all the 774 local governments is a two million-page document. The commission is only able to print three copies of the register. Political parties are to be given electronic copies of the register on CD-ROMS", Guobadia stated.
Political parties' leaders at the meeting also included Chief Ralph Obioha, former National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) chieftain and National Chairman of Justice Party; Col. Bello Fadile of the National Democratic Party and Alhaji Yahaya Ndu of the African Rennaissance Party.
Though journalists were only allowed at the opening stage of the parley, which was later held behind closed-doors, sources informed The Guardian that some of the political parties lampooned INEC for failing to secure the yearly grant for the political parties this year.
The commission was silent on the crisis that has torn apart the Alliance for Democracy culminating in the endorsement of the Senator Mojisola Akinfenwa's faction of the Alliance for Democracy by the pan-Yoruba cultural group, Afenifere.
