IPAC chairman, Alhaji Yagbagi Sani briefing newsmen in Abuja.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC has called for the timely release of funds meant for next year’s general election.
IPAC Chairman, Alhaji Yagbagi Sani made the call in Abuja while briefing newsmen.
He said with the signing of the amended electoral act, Nigerians are optimistic that the conduct of elections in the country, can be measured up to global best practices.
Alhaji Yagbagi Sani mentioned some of the clauses in the new Electoral Act that inspires hope to include, the clause that stipulates that funds for general elections must be released at least, one year before the elections to provide the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the requisite time for proper and adequate preparations.
According to Alhaji Sani, Section 94 of the Act stipulates early commencement of campaign seasons at least, 150 days to elections. This provision would give the political parties and candidates, sufficient time to get to the electorate with their manifestos.
Equally exciting is the new Electoral Act is the provision that empowers political parties to conduct a primary election to replace a candidate who died in an election.
The IPAC chairman said the new powers conferred on INEC by the Act to review results of elections declared under duress, was another innovation that would put an end to avoidable litigations.
He said ‘’with the electronic transmission of election results from the polling units through to the collation centres, IPAC is confident that the practice of distorting figures of votes cast, may have become history’’.
He noted that IPAC believed that the provisions in the Act for the application of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation and Authentication System, BVAS, as well as the other technologies and digitization in the electoral process, would tremendously enhance the integrity and credibility of future elections in the country.
Alhaji Sani also called on the political parties to ensure strict compliance to the new Electoral Act by playing the game according to the rules.
Reporting by Ogochukwu Okoronkwo, editing by Daniel Adejo.