Imported User:
The financial audit report recently published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has continued to generate reactions from the political parties that were affected by the INEC damning report on the financial transactions of the parties. According to the INEC report, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), failed to keep to proper procedure and record-keeping in their financial activities. But in his reaction, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said that he would be surprised if what the INEC said is true. He said the PDP had always made it a point of duty to submit its audited report as when due and in strict obedience to the regulation of the electoral commission. On his part, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, pleaded for time to study the document saying he was out of the country when the report was published. Also reacting, the spokesman for the ANPP, Chief Emma Eneukwu said the party had always submitted its report to INEC, wondering what must have delayed the 2010 report. He promised to cross check and get back to LEADERSHIP on the issue. Reacting to the claim yesterday, the CPC spokesman, Mr. Rotimi Fashekun faulted the audit report describing it as "balderdash’. “Is it with huge money of the party trapped in First bank on the deliberate order of the federal government? Fashekun queried. Meanwhile, INEC has claimed that the commission is not constitutionally empowered to sanction erring political parties that fail to submit their financial audit report to the commission. Speaking to LEADERSHIP, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said the law would however take its cause as provided for in section 89 of the 2011 Electoral Act. “The law will take its cause. Section 89 of the Electoral Act which empowers the commission didn’t state any specific action to be taken in the event that political parties fail to submit their financial audit reports�, Idowu said.
