All eyes will be on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct free, fair, credible, acceptable and inclusive governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, made the assertion, on Monday in Abuja at the second regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties.
He said: “All eyes are on INEC to conduct free, fair, credible, acceptable and inclusive elections. With adequate preparation, functional BVAS and the capacity to upload results in real-time on its IReV portals, Nigerians will once more have confidence in the electoral system where every vote will be counted and counted in the overall result.
“Our commitment to deepening democracy in Nigeria will yet again be tested in the Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections. We are all in it together for successful elections.”
The chairman said it was important that voters in the two states are massively mobilised to register and participate in the polls.
He assured that IPAC would spearhead this crucial exercise in collaboration with INEC, saying with the lowest voter turnout in the 2023 general election, much needs to be done.
Dantalle stated: “The need to restore annual grants to political parties that were expunged from the constitution by the National Assembly, cannot be overemphasized.
“IPAC has set up its Constitution and Electoral Act Amendments Committee that will recommend aspects of the laws that need to be reviewed, and presented to the National Assembly for consideration.
“Local Government autonomy is essential for the survival of democracy in Nigeria as politics is local. Citizens must be encouraged to actively participate in grassroots politics that guarantees free and transparent polls.”
Dantalle said frequent cross-carpeting by national and state legislators was inimical to sustainable democracy, saying it was the remote cause of the crisis in political parties and the state houses of Assembly, particularly when legislators decamp with impunity without cogent reasons, insisting it must stop.