Guidelines For Rally Conduct Are Listed By INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission has established guidelines for the management of political gatherings and campaigns, as well as election expenditures of parties, candidates, and aspirants (INEC).
The directives were released on November 24 by Festus Okoye, the INEC spokesman.
The maximum gift one may give to a cause, calling the police, abiding by National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) regulations, and conforming to COVID-19 safety regulations are some of the topics covered in these.
It stated: “Political parties must send a written notice to the state or federal capital territory’s commissioner of police specifying the precise location and time of the rally or procession and promising to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner and control any public disturbance or violence.
“At least 10 days prior to the date of the political rally or procession, Political Parties shall transmit to the Commission, through the Electoral Officer at the Local Government Area and the Resident Electoral Commissioner at the State, details of the schedule of their political rallies and processions via a designated portal and also in hard copy. The National Chairman and National Secretary of the Political Party should jointly sign the notification.
Political Parties must notify the Commission of the schedule of their campaigns, including the date, time, location, agenda, list of members of the organizing committee, and police approval within the campaign’s jurisdiction, in hard copy and in soft copy through a designated portal within a minimum of 10 days prior to the start of their campaigns.
The highest sum of cash or other assets that one person, a group of people, or an organization may give to a political party or candidate for office is N50,000,000. Unless it identifies and discloses the source of the gift to the Commission, a Political Party must not receive any monetary or other contribution that is more than N50,000,000.
“Within six months after an election, each Political Party that took part must submit an audited account of its election costs to the site approved by the Commission. The reporting period will start 360 days before election day and continue until that date.
Within three months following the declaration of the election results, “Every Political Party supporting the election of a candidate should provide to the site authorized by the Commission a report of the donations made to it by persons and businesses. The report must include the donor(s)’ names, residences, occupations, and the amount.
