The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged civil society organizations (CSOs) to extend their election monitoring activities to political party primaries, emphasizing the importance of tackling vote-buying and other electoral malpractice.
The call was made by INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu during the first quarterly consultative meeting with CSOs for 2025, held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
Yakubu recognized the critical role that CSOs play in election observation and advocacy, noting that their reports have been instrumental in addressing irregularities during elections. He encouraged them to turn their attention to party primaries, where issues like delegate-buying have been prevalent.
“CSOs should show as much interest in monitoring party primaries as they do in overseeing secondary elections conducted by INEC. After all, the candidates nominated in primaries are the ones that appear on the ballot for the general elections,” Yakubu stated.
He further noted that delegates have openly discussed the financial incentives they received during nomination processes, a practice requiring greater scrutiny and action.
Yakubu stressed the importance of intensifying advocacy around this issue and supporting the efforts of security agencies to combat such practices. He highlighted that many election observers have raised concerns about vote-buying at polling units and made actionable recommendations to curb it, some of which have been implemented by INEC.
The meeting came as INEC prepares for several key elections, including the Anambra State Governorship election on November 8, 2025. Political parties are expected to conduct their primaries between March 20 and April 10, 2025.
Yakubu reminded stakeholders that the timetable and schedule for the Anambra election were released in October, with the Notice of Election published on November 13, 2024, in accordance with legal requirements.
Additionally, INEC is preparing for the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), set for February 21, 2026, as the tenures of the six Chairmen and 62 Councillors will end next year. The election timetable for these elections has been published on INEC’s website, with further details to follow in future engagements.
