Polls postponement: PDP dares INEC

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday dared the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its directive, banning all political campaigns in the postponed Presidential and National Assembly polls as it vowed to reopen its open campaign activities nationwide immediately.

In a statement made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja by Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media & Publicity Presidential Campaign Organisation , it disclosed that it took the decision after due consideration of the provision of the Electoral Act, consequent upon the postponement of Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from the earlier scheduled date of February 16 to February 23, 2019.

It rejected what it described as “wrongful administrative prohibition of open campaigns” by INEC, holding that “such administrative pronouncement was erroneous, directly in conflict with the provision of the Electoral Act and is not backed by any other law in our country”.
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According to the Party, “our position is predicated on the clear provision of section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act which stipulated that “for the purposes of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.

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“The clear import of this provision, in the current situation, is that given the postponement of the election to February 23, 2019, the 24 hours requirement for closure of all public campaigning falls at midnight of February 21.”

It reminded INEC that whenever its administrative pronouncement conflicts with the Electoral Act, such administrative pronouncement must bow before the law.

The party charged  INEC to be appropriately guided while directing its members to await further directives ahead of its reopening of campaigns.

The Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu had focused further Campaigns and collection of PVCs following the shift of the Polls.