INEC reviews election rules as regards COVID-19

 

INEC reviews election rules as regards COVID-19

By Abdulmumin Murtala The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is reviewing its regulations and guidelines for political parties operations and activities as well as election observation in view of COVID-19 and insecurity. This was stated by the INEC’s Deputy Director Election and Party Monitoring, Shehu Wahab, at a retreat organized for the technical staff by INEC and the European Centre for Electoral Support, ECES on Wednesday in Kano.

Addressing newsmen at the event, Wahab explained that all the regulations earlier initiated in the wake of COVID-19 global pandemic will be reviewed at the retreat to meet with the INEC regulations with the support of ECES. “This is a retreat that is being organized by INEC, to comprehensively review guidelines and regulations relating to political party activities and election observation.

“You will recall that in June, the commission issued INEC guideline in view of COVID-19 global pandemic. With that policy all aspects of INEC operations are expected to follow the guidelines of COVID” he explained. He further stated that there are five guidelines in all that INEC has to manage. “With regards to political parties, there are about five guidelines that INEC has in place to manage political party activities, party primaries, campaigns and rallies, registration and deregistration of political parties and guidelines relating to election observation” he explained. He stated that they are at the retreat make the said guidelines be in compliance with INEC policy on COVID-19. “We are here to align the INEC broad policy to these specific five guidelines, to ensure that  we reflect all the things related to COVID-19 to be in alliance with the executive guideline. “For your information, these guidelines were done in 2018, COVID-19 came up much later and COVID-19 came up much later, and that is why INEC came up with this policy” he said.