2015: INEC to sanction campaign ban violators

Lokoja - The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Thursday said that politicians violating the ban on campaign for the 2015 elections will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kogi State, Segun Agbaje  said this during a meeting with party leaders in Lokoja.

He described the action as a clear danger to the free and fair conduct of the coming general elections.

Agbaje said that indiscriminate mounting of billboards, pasting of posters and hanging of banners by aspirants had become a worrisome trend overheating the polity.

He told party leaders to wait till November for campaign, adding
that governorship election would not hold in the state in February 2015 but towards the end of that year.

“Parties are hereby advised not to allow any aspirant to use their respective platforms to engage in any form of campaign or use subtle trick in defiance of the relevant sections of Electoral Act 2010," he said.

The commissioner said that the commission would commence the distribution of permanent voter cards to the electorate towards the end of April.

He said the continuous voter registration will hold on specific days in June, adding that those wishing to register will have to appear in person with their birth certificates, international passport, driver’s licence or national identity card.

Agbaje said the organisation was ready to conduct credible elections in 2015 and solicited for the support of parties in the areas of education and campaigns to stem apathy.

He said this would help to avoid the high number of voided ballots as witnessed in the  2011 elections.

 The Director of SSS in the state, Mike Fubara and the representative of Commissioner of Police, William Adebowale urged politicians to abide by the rule of the game and shun thuggery.

 Abubakar Aliu of the UNPP and Ibrahim Itodo of the Labour Party both blamed the violation on campaign ban on high level of impunity pervading the country.

The state Secretary of the PDP, Emmanuel Egwu and the state Chairman of PPA thanked the INEC for the meeting and promised to take the message back to their members.

17 out of 18 political parties that have their offices in the state attended the meeting.