Political Campaigns Begin Nationwide Tomorrow As INEC Lifts Ban

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has officially lifted the ban on campaigns for presidential and the National Assembly elections slated for next year.

The various political parties are expected to start their full blown campaigns starting tomorrow, december 5ht according to the nations electoral laws. The action is in line with the electoral timetable released by the commission and in keeping with the 90 days provision.

Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, said the commission had put all arrangements in place to monitor the campaigns in line with the provisions of the law.

According to him, “the commission has put structures in place to track expenditures; that structures did not exist in 2011, but now, we have been able to put structures in place to track the expenditure of partisans and we are going to be doing that.”

According to section 91, sub-section 2-7 of the Electoral Act, delves on Limitation on Election Expenses “The maximum elections expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a presidential, governorship election shall be N1 billion and N200 million, respectively.

“The maximum amount of election expenses to be incurred of senatorial seat by a candidate and House of Representatives shall be N40 million and N20 million respectively,” while “in the case of state assembly election, the maximum amount of election expenses to be incurred shall be N10 million.”

Meanwhile, section 91 (10) said “a candidate who knowingly acts in contravention of this section commits an offence.

Similarly, section 92 (3) has spelt out that “election expenses of a political party shall be submitted to the commission in a separate audited return within 6 months after an election and such return shall be signed by the political party’s auditors and counter-signed by the chairman of the party and be supported by a sworn affidavit by the signatories as to the correctness of its contents.”

He pointed out that the law had put ceiling on each offices and the commission monitor to see whether it had been exceeded.