INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. ATTAHIRU JEGA (L) DISCUSSING WITH THE IGP
SULEIMAN ABBA, DURING A STRATEGIC LEVEL DISCUSSION ON SECURING 2015
GENERAL ELECTIONS IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY
Candidates must
not use government property during campaigns ahead of next month’s
general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
has said.
This is part of the Code of Conduct which the parties have signed.
“All political parties shall separate
party business from government business. No political party shall use
state vehicles or other public resources for any electioneering
campaigns or any other party business,” INEC said in its code.
This is not unconnected with the
practice of candidates seeking re-election using government vehicles,
aircraft and Government Houses and offices in raising funds and holding
meetings.
But INEC did not list sanctions against
those who run foul of the code. It also did not say how it will monitor
compliance. An INEC official described it all as a moral issue. “Since
the parties have signed the code of conduct documents, it is expected
that that will abide,” he said.
Besides demanding notice of all rallies
from parties, INEC has also banned parties from using inflammatory
language or take any action which could incite violence.
The INEC chairman’s Chief Press
Secretary, Mr. Kayode Robert Idowu, said: “All the parties have
subscribed to the Code of Conduct and we expect them to abide by it
during the campaign and the election.”
The Code of Conduct also states:
“No political party or candidate shall
during campaign resort to the use of inflammatory language, provocative
actions, images or manifestation that incite violence, hatred, contempt
or intimidation against another party or candidate or any person or
group of persons on grounds of ethnicity or gender or for any other
reason.
“Accordingly, no political party or
candidate shall issue any poster, pamphlet, leaflet or other publication
that contains any such incitement.
“All political parties shall take all
necessary steps to coordinate their campaign activities in such a way as
to avoid holding rallies, meetings, marches or demonstrations close to
one another at the same time.
“Accordingly, whenever the date, venue
or timing of any such activities of different political parties clash,
their representatives will meet to resolve the issue amicably without
resort to intimidation, force or violence.
“All parties are required to file with the commission, the details of their public rallies and meetings in any particular area.
“No political party or any person or
group of persons acting in its name shall obstruct, disrupt, break up or
in any way whatsoever interfere with a meeting, rally march,
demonstration, or any campaign activity of another political party.
“In this regard, no party or any person
or group of persons acting in its name shall try to obstruct or prevent
any person from participating in the activities of another party.
“Every political party shall expressly
forbid its supporters from shouting its slogan, wearing its identifying
colours or other paraphernalia to the rallies and any public gathering
of other political parties.
“All political parties shall instruct
their members and supporters that no arms or any object that can be used
to cause injury shall be brought to a political rally meeting, march,
demonstration, or any other political function.
” No political party or candidate shall
prevent other parties or candidates from pasting their posters or
distributing their leaflets, hand bills and other publicity materials in
public place.
“Furthermore, all parties and candidates
shall give directives to their members and supporters not to remove,
destroy the posters and other campaign materials of other parties or
candidates.”
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