Registration of new parties : INEC to release names soon - Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) says it will soon release
its decision on the applications received
from associations that applied for
registration as political parties in the
country.
INEC Director of Publicity and Voter
Education, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi on
Monday in Abuja said that the commission
was already processing the applications.
INEC had recently said that more than 60
political associations submitted
applications to the commission seeking to
be registered as political parties in the
country.
According to Osaze-Uzzi, the commission
has no option than to register any
association that meet the criteria provided
by the law and the Electoral Act.
“The applications are being processed.
Some of the applications have challenges
and we have drawn the attention of the
groups that submitted them.
“Some of the associations have also come
to make enquiries on their filed
applications.
“Those who meet the threshold for
registration would be registered within the
next one month, while those who did not
meet the criteria would not be registered,’’
he said.
On whether all the associations that
applied for registration met the
requirements and how the commission
would be able to manage high number of
registered political parties by 2019 general
elections, Osaze-Uzzi said INEC would act
within the law.
“We will act within the laws establishing
INEC in regulating them.
“If all of the associations meet the
requirements, we are bound to register
them, in which case we are also bound to
manage and regulate all the registered
political parties.’’
He said the implication was that INEC
would need to deploy more resources in
terms of finance, and personnel among
others, to manage the conventions,
congresses and expenditure of registered
parties.
“We have no choice than to exercise our
responsibility.’’