YIAGA advises political parties not to nominate the highest bidders in by-elections.
Before the by-elections on February 3, 2024, YIAGA Africa has asked political parties not to give nominations to the highest bidders.
Samson Itodo, the Executive Secretary of YIAGA Africa, made this statement on Thursday during an interview with Politics Today on Channels Television.
Before the by-elections on February 3, 2024, YIAGA Africa has asked political parties not to give nominations to the highest bidders.
Samson Itodo, the Executive Secretary of YIAGA Africa, made this statement on Thursday during an interview with Politics Today on Channels Television.
He asked the 19 political parties to nominate candidates for the by-elections in accordance with their respective constitutions.
Itodo cautioned that with parties demanding tens of millions to hundreds of millions of naira from candidates, Nigeria is slowly moving toward a plutocratic state.
He added that parties must notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 21 days prior to primaries in accordance with the Electoral Act of 2022.
He added that it is against the law for parties to alter the primary location and date without first alerting INEC.
The head of YIAGA asserted that primaries are void if INEC does not observe them and emphasized that parties’ substitution of candidates must adhere to the law.
“Political parties substitute candidates unlawfully,” declared Itodo.
He said that since Nigerians had ample time to read the Electoral Act and adhere to its rules, they would not accept party justifications for the upcoming by-elections.
