Jubril Bada

Political parties have said that the Independent National; Electoral Commission (INEC) has only been performing observatory role in the conduct of their parties primaries .
This was the position of some political parties in interviews with The Hope on INEC’s position on the conduct and funding of direct primaries .
Some of the political parties spoke include the All Progressives Congress (APC), the People Democratic Party (PDP) the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and the Action Alliance (AA).
They said the electoral umpire has not said anything new as regard the provision for direct primaries in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill awaiting the president assent to become law.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the APC in Ondo State, Mr Steve Otaloro explained that INEC has only been known for its observatory role in the conduct of political parties primaries but not involved in the conduct of political parties’ primaries.
“If INEC is now saying that the conduct and funding of primaries were functions of the political parties this time around, it is like the INEC is trying to get the credit it was not due for. It has not been playing any role than observatory role in all our primaries,” he said.
Otaloro maintained that if the direct primaries in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill eventually signed into law, it would be the continuation of its role.
On his part, the State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr Kennedy Peretei, said that the funding of primaries has not been the function of the commission, stressing that it was political parties that have been financing their primaries.
“INEC is not saying anything new. personally, I don’t think INEC has personnel to supervise direct primaries.
“As far as the PDP is concerned we still stick to our indirect primaries. It can only send observers or its officials to the venue of our primaries at it used to do before” he emphasized.
The State Secretary of ADP, Comrade Innocent Ayomide and the State Chairman of AA, Olasunkanmi Obafemi posited that the role of INEC during primaries was to give authentication to political party’s primaries not financial role.
They noted that the role of the commission was to monitor primaries process adding that it was true that INEC does not have financial role in the conduct of party’s primaries.