The opposition coalition comprising the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) minus the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) who formed the All Progressive Congress (APC) failed yesterday to get the issue on the front burner, despite their avowed resolve to do so. Details emerging from Tuesday’s meeting between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and 25 registered political parties indicate that both sides have agreed to raise the administrative fees for political party registration from N100,000 to N1 million.
Curiously, the meeting did not discuss the controversy over the acronym of the APC between the African Peoples Congress and the All Progressive Congress, as the issue was reportedly not on the agenda.
In proposing the increase in the cost of the administrative fees for the registration of political parties, INEC said that the increase is to ensure that only serious groups are registered as political parties.
Ahead of the 2015 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the twenty five registered political parties Tuesday met to approve the modalities and regulations for the delimitations of federal constituencies and how the commission can regulate the activities of political parties.
The last delimitation of constituencies was conducted in 1996, whereas, the exercise is expected to take place in between the national consensus and increase in population. The 1996 delimitation of constituencies approved the 109senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies and the State Houses of Assembly.
At the meeting with political parties, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega solicited the support of the political parties in the two main exercise of delimitation constituencies and regulation of political parties.
He said “This first meeting in the series will focus on a review of the Guidelines for the regulation of the activities of political parties by INEC and a briefing on INEC’s preparations for delimitation of constituencies
