The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has decried the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) unwelcome intrusion into its internal affairs.
They argued that the electoral body lacked the constitutional authority to control meetings such as National Executive Committee (NEC) sessions, unless they involved the election of party officers or candidates.
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, announced this on Sunday while briefing reporters on major achievements ahead of the 100th NEC meeting, which is slated for June 30, 2025.
According to Ologunagba, the PDP alerted the INEC of the planned NEC meeting in accordance with established protocol, even though such meetings do not fall under the categories of political events that necessitate the INEC’s involvement.
“INEC plays no involvement in the regular sessions of the NWC or the NEC. These are internal party matters, as the Supreme Court has clearly established in numerous rulings,” Ologunagba remarked.
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He added that under Nigerian law and the PDP constitution, INEC is only needed to be notified of conventions, congresses, or primaries that involve the election of party officers or candidates.
“We did not specify if the meeting was to elect executives, hold primaries, or nominate individuals for elective posts. However, the Acting Secretary of INEC, Halilu Aminu, has decided to arbitrarily ascribe a purpose to our meeting,” he stated.
Ologunagba also stated that the PDP’s 100th NEC meeting will evaluate progress on preparations for its next national convention, including updates from the Zoning and Convention Committees formed at the 99th NEC meeting.
“At the 99th NEC meeting, it was unanimously agreed to set the next meeting on June 30th. The constitutions for the Zoning Committee and the Convention Committee were ratified. He stated that consultations with various party organs and stakeholders are ongoing.
