The assistance will end the scourge of illicit campaign financing and enhance the capacity of INEC to properly discharge its duties.
Judex Okoro, Calabar
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the European Union and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are partnering to end illicit campaign financing in order to boost the integrity of the elections.
This collaboration is aimed at ending the scourge of illicit campaign financing and enhance the capacity of INEC to properly discharge its duties.
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The assistance, the Union said, will be through one of its agencies, the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and will end the scourge of illicit campaign financing and enhance the capacity of INEC to properly discharge its duties.
Speaking at a three day workshop organised by the European Centre for staff of the department of Election Party and Monitoring of INEC held in Calabar, with ‘Methodology on Campaign Finance and Debriefing on political Party Primaries’, the Programme Coordinator of European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) in Nigeria, Rudolf Elbling, said the workshop is to build capacity of INEC staff in terms of election monitoring.
According to the Programme Coordinator, “The manner in which political parties carry out their activities, especially in the areas of campaign finance and conduct of primaries, has implications for the transparency and integrity of the electoral system.
“Excessive and improper deployment of money compromise the freedom of the people to exercise their choices in elections and challenges related to the conduct of primaries have become not only sources of division within the party but also protracted tension in the political system”, he said.
He said the aim of the workshop was also to learn useful lessons from the recently-conducted primaries of political parties.
Earlier, the Director of Election, Party and Monitoring in INEC, Aminu Idris, commended the ECES for the training stressing that it will go a long way in preparing the Commission effectively ahead of the general elections.
He said it is mandatory for political parties in the country to make a report of their campaign financing to the commission and the commission will enforce this provision of the law.
Justifying the imperative of the training, the Director said that so far, over 120 complaints have emerged following the just concluded primaries by political parties in the country and advised political parties to put their house in order to minimize these complaints.