INEC By-elections: Don’t nominate highest bidders, YIAGA tells political parties

YIAGA Africa has urged political parties not to hand nominations to the highest bidders ahead of the February 3, 2024, by-elections.

The Executive Secretary of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo made this appeal in an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.

The advocacy organisation asked the political parties to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 as they conduct primaries to field candidates across two Senatorial Districts, four Federal Constituencies, and three State Constituencies spanning nine states of the Federation.

He urged the 19 political parties to obey their constitutions when producing candidates for the by-elections.

Itodo warned that Nigeria is gradually gravitating toward a plutocratic state with the tens and hundreds of millions of naira demanded from aspirants by parties for nomination forms.

He said according to the Electoral Act 2022, parties should notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 21 days before primaries.

He also said parties cannot change the venue and date of primaries without notifying INEC as this was inconsistent with the law.

The YIAGA chief said that if INEC does not witness primaries, they are null and void, stressing that the substitution of candidates by parties should comply with the law.

Itodo said, “Political parties substitute candidates unlawfully.”

He said Nigerians won’t take excuses from parties for the coming by-elections as they had enough time to study the Electoral Act and comply with its provisions.