INEC To Deregister CSOs Not Submitting Reports Of Election Monitoring
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) told Civil Society Organisations on Tuesday, May 14, that their continued participation in the electoral process will depend on their submission of reports from elections monitored by them.
Speaking at a quarterly consultative meeting with CSOs involved in monitoring elections in the country, the chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said CSOs that fail to submit reports from previous exercises may not be accredited to participate in future elections.
He, however, asked them to submit their applications for accreditation as election observers for the September 21 Governorship elections in Edo state.
The INEC chairman said: “As we inch closer to Election Day in Edo State, it is also imperative to remind CSOs of the need to submit your applications for election observation in earnest along with the required supporting documents and a realistic number of individual observers.
“Doing so will enable the Commission to produce and deliver the identity cards for observers in good time. The Commission will not entertain requests outside the deadline for the receipt of applications from interested observer groups or process applications that do not meet the criteria.
“For emphasis, submission of reports from previous accreditation in the manner required by the Commission is mandatory for continuous participation in election observation.
“Since our last meeting two months ago, many accredited observers have submitted their reports but a few are yet to do so. We urge you to do the needful. Your reports are important for us in reviewing and improving our processes and procedures”.
He also announced the existence of vacancies in National and State Assemblies caused by either the death or resignation of Members involving three State Assembly constituencies and one Federal Constituency in four States across the country.
He said: “As soon as preparations are concluded, the Commission will announce the dates for bye-elections in Khana 2 State Constituency of Rivers State, the Bagwai/Shanono State constituency of Kano State, the Zaria Kewaye State Constituency of Kaduna State and the Garki/Babura Federal Constituency of Jigawa State.”
The INEC chairman informed the CSOs of the resumption of the Continuous Voter registration exercise in Edo and Ondo state. He appealed to join us in mobilising prospective registrants for the exercise, particularly on the need to register early and not wait until the deadline approaches when eleventh-hour registrants will inundate the registration centres.
He also disclosed that in addition to the registration of voters in the two states, the Commission will make available uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for collection during the CVR.
He said: “In the coming days, the list of uncollected PVCs will be published in our offices in the two States and simultaneously uploaded to our website. We believe doing so will make it easier for voters to collect their PVCs.
“However, no PVCs will be collected by proxy. Registered voters should come in person to collect their cards. Again, we seek the support of CSOs in encouraging voters to locate and pick up their PVCs as was done in the past.”
New predictions put naira at N2,212/$ Analysts say the naira may continue depreciating to N2,000 unless the CBN resumes FX sales to BDCs. Data from the FMDQ Exchange shows that the Forex market recorded a turnover of $217.64 million, up from $112 million recorded on Friday, May 10, 2024. The naira has been on a seven-week fall after emerging as the world’s best-performing currency in April. The local currency reversed its gains a few weeks later, becoming the worst-performing currency despite a series of reforms by the Central Bank of Nigeria to ensure stability.
