Politics
EU Tasks Nigerian Politicians On Issue-Based Campaigns
The European Union (EU) on Monday advised Nigerian policians to engage in issue-based campaigns, shun violence and hate speech, ahead of the electioneering campaign which starts on Sept. 28. Ms Samuela Isopi, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said this at the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme Closure of Phase 1 and Launch of Phase 11 in Abuja.
“The EU SDGN testifies to the continued partnership with Nigeria that has grown in mutual respect and benefit since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999,” Isopi said.
She said the rule of law; human rights and democracy were the founding principles of the EU.
“ The electoral campaign will start in two weeks; as a friend of Nigeria, we would like to see peaceful and issues-based campaigns and we would like to encourage all stakeholders to take a firm stance against violence and hate speech.
“As the largest democracy in Africa, elections in Nigeria matter, they matter to Nigeria and Nigerians, they also matter for Africa as their outcome will be watched and felt well beyond its borders.
“Nigeria has the responsibility to lead and inspire other democracies on the continent six months ahead of the 2023 General Election, Nigeria is at a pivotal moment in the process.
“Who wins the elections is for the Nigerian people to decide; as a longstanding partner, the EU shares Nigeria’s interest to see a solid process leading to peaceful, free, fair and credible elections,” she said.
Isopi said the EU would also want all Nigerian voters to peacefully and freely cast their votes to choose their leaders and contribute to strengthening the country’s democracy and good governance.
She added that the EU was particularly keen to see greater participation of youth, women and people with disabilities.
She said that the mobilisation being witnessed across the country especially among the youth to register in view of next elections was a strong sign.
“It is a message from the Nigerians, from the youth in particular, that they believe in democracy.
“It is also a sign of trust in the electoral process that has made tremendous progress over the past few years and months.
“Thanks to the reforms and the technical innovations introduced by INEC to make elections more transparent and more credible, and to reassure voters that their votes will count and will be respected,” she said.
Isopi said EU firmly believed that only a functioning democracy could address citizens’ needs and build prosperous, resilient and strong societies.
She said it was with that belief in mind that the support to electoral processes was key element of the EU’s cooperation policy with its partners.
She said that the EU provided technical support to key electoral institutions and stakeholders since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, with over a 150 million euros committed so far.
She said that the Phase I of the EU-SDGN programme contributed to the reform of the electoral process by building capacities, strengthening institutions, strengthening the role and participation of civil society, contributing to the reform of the legal framework.
She added that building on the success of the first phase, the formulation of phase II was done in consultation with the Nigerian Government and key stakeholders such as the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and civil society organisations.
She said the overall objective of the programme was to foster a functioning pluralistic, inclusive, participatory and representative democracy in Nigeria.
“Even though today marks the official launch of the programme, implementation started five months ago in April 2022, a month before the end of Phase 1.
“The programme of which the total amount is 39 million euros – will be implemented until 2027, with a focus on six specific components,” she said.
Isopi said the programme was aimed at improving the quality of electoral administration in Nigeria and strengthen capacities for legislative and judicial reform in compliance with democratic principles and standards.
She said it would enhance pluralism, internal democracy and equality of opportunity in the political parties and the political party system and empower the media to promote fair and ethical coverage of the electoral process and combat hate speech.
She said the programme also aimed at tackling disinformation, enhance participation of women, youth and other marginalised groups in the political process and empower CSOs and relevant agencies to demand greater transparency and accountability in the electoral and decision making process, and promote greater citizens’ participation.
Isopi said the European Union would continue to provide targeted support by building on the successes of the past electoral cycles and taking forward the very significant lessons learned within the period.
She called on Nigerians to support and respect the fundamental and independent role INEC as it fulfils its constitutional mandate and should be allowed to operate free from outside pressure, and in turn must demonstrate full neutrality and professionalism.
She said the new electoral act was a major step forward and its full implementation by INEC have the potential to make 2023 general elections a milestone in Nigeria’s democratic history.
She however, said for this to happen, everyone has to do his part.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), commended the ambassador for the closure of Phase I and launch of Phase II of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (the EU-SDGN) Programme.
Yakubu said the closure of the Phase I and simultaneous launch of Phase II of the EU-SDGN Programme was a further affirmation of the enduring commitment and support of the European Union towards the strengthening of democratic institutions and the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria.
He said INEC was a key beneficiary of the first phase of the EU-SDGN Programme conceived under the National Indicative Programme 2014 – 2020.
“ The support went a long way to complement the Commission’s efforts at strengthening our organisational and planning capacity, a major achievement is the progressive provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, especially the deployment of technology at polling unit level,” he said.
Yakubu reassured that the commission would work together with the consortium of partners to implement the support to its component of the EU-SDGN II.
He said the choice of the partners signified a vote of confidence in their capacity to undertake actions and implement activities that are critical to promoting the institutionalisation of democratic norms in our country.
He said INEC would work with the implementing partners for free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.
He added that the commission would continue to welcome the deployment of international and domestic election observers in line with INEC’s guidelines.
This, he said was because the commission considered the deployment of such election observation missions as a means of enhancing public confidence and trust in Nigeria’s elections. (NAN)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
In a timetable issued by its National Secretariat in Abuja and signed by the National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, the party said the activities were in line with provisions of its constitution guiding the election of party officials across all tiers.
According to the schedule, membership e-registration began on January 31 and ended on February 8, while notices of congresses were dispatched to state and Federal Capital Territory chapters on February 2.
Submission of nomination forms for ward and local government congresses closed on February 9, followed by screening and appeals between February 10 and February 14.
Ward congresses are fixed for February 18, with appeals the following day, while local government congresses will take place on February 21 and appeals on February 23.
At the state level, purchase of forms for state executive positions will run from February 22 to February 25, with screening set for February 27–28 and appeals from March 1–2. State congresses are scheduled for March 3, and appeals on March 4.
Activities leading to zonal congresses and the national convention include purchase and submission of forms between March 12 and March 16, inauguration of screening committees on March 23, and screening of aspirants on March 24. Zonal congresses across the six geo-political zones are slated for March 25, with appeals on March 26.
The party’s national convention will hold from March 27 to March 28.The APC also published fees for expression of interest and nomination forms across the different tiers.
At the ward level, expression of interest costs ?5,000, while nomination forms range from ?15,000 to ?20,000 depending on the position. For local government positions, nomination forms range from ?50,000 to ?100,000 after a ?10,000 expression-of-interest fee.
State executive positions attract ?50,000 for expression of interest, with nomination forms pegged at ?1 million for chairman and ?500,000 for other offices. Zonal offices require ?100,000 expression of interest and ?200,000 for nomination.
For national positions, the fees rise significantly, with expression of interest set at ?100,000. Nomination forms cost ?10 million for national chairman, ?7.5 million for deputy national chairmen and national secretary, ?5 million for other offices, and ?250,000 for National Executive Committee membership.
The party noted that female aspirants, youths and persons living with disabilities would pay only the expression-of-interest fee and 50 per cent of nomination costs. It also clarified that Ekiti, Osun, Rivers states and the FCT are excluded from ward, local government and state congresses, but will participate in electing delegates to the national convention.
Forms are to be completed online after payment verification, with payments directed to designated APC accounts at Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa.
The congress cycle is expected to determine new party leadership structures ahead of future electoral activities.
The Tide source reports that the committee, reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, is making moves to reclaim the Wadata Plaza headquarters months after it was sealed following a violent clash between rival factions of the party.
Senior officers at the FCT Police Command told our source that while they had not received an official briefing, police personnel would be stationed at the secretariat and other key locations to maintain peace.
The Acting National Secretary of the Mohammed-led committee, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, announced last week that the secretariat would reopen for official activities on Monday (today).
He dismissed claims that ongoing litigation would prevent the reopening, saying, “There are no legal barriers preventing the caretaker committee from resuming work at the party’s headquarters.”
However, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) has fiercely rejected the reopening move, insisting that Sen. Anyanwu and his group remain expelled from the PDP and have no authority to act on its behalf.
Speaking with The Tide source, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, declared: “They are living in fool’s paradise. The worst form of deceit is self-deceit, where the person knows he is deceiving himself yet continues with gusto.
“Even INEC, which they claim has recognised them, has denied them. They are indulging in a roller coaster of self-deceit.”
Mr Ememobong further revealed that letters had been sent to both the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police, stressing that the matter was still in court and warning against any attempt to “resort to self-help.”
“The case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered,” he said.
He warned that reopening the secretariat would amount to contempt of court.
A senior officer at the FCT Police Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that officers would be deployed to the area to avert a repeat of the November 19 violence that led to the secretariat’s initial closure.
“The command would not stand by and allow a breakdown of peace and order by the party or anyone else. Definitely, the police will have to be on the ground,” he said.
Another officer added, “There will definitely be men present at the secretariat, but I can’t say the number of police officers that would be deployed.”
When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said she had not been briefed on the planned reopening and declined to comment on whether officers would be deployed.
Asked to confirm whether the secretariat was initially sealed by police, she responded, “Yes,” but refused to say more about the current deployment plans.
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