Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received 95 applications for new political parties, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has said.
Addressing Journalists Monday in Kaduna shortly after the opening ceremony of the Workshop to Review INEC Communications Policy, Prof. Mahmood said they have received applications from various intending political parties, adding that the applications will be looked into at a meeting of the Commission Wednesday in Kaduna and those successful will be announced soon.
According to the INEC boss, “As at last week, we had received 95 applications for new political parties. At the end of this workshop, there is going to be a retreat on Wednesday to review the ongoing voters registration followed by a meeting of the Commission here in Kaduna. At the end of the meeting of the Commission, we will issue a release on the issue of parties.
“I have said that we would be holding a mid-quarterly review of our activities and preparation as we head towards the 2019 general elections after every six weeks, by Wednesday, the mid-quarterly review will come up here in Kaduna on the ongoing continuous voters registration nationwide.”
Speaking on the essence of the workshop held with the support if United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the INEC boss said, “While the current policy has served the Commission, it is obvious that a review is necessary as we prepare for the 2019 general elections. Such a review is significant in order to achieve four objectives; a comprehensive review of the policy to determine what worked and what needed to fine-tune.
“Secondly, the need to examine the extent to which the policy has enabled the Commission to effectively communicate with the public. To determine the extent to which the policy has facilitated a more robust internal communication within the Commission and to appraise the effectiveness of a sustained stakeholder engagement between the Commission and relevant stakeholders.”
Prof. Mahmood said since 2015 general elections significant changes have taken place in the political and electoral arena that should be taken into consideration in planning for the next general elections.
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