Political parties, RSIEC on warpath over N4.7bn grant

on OCTOBER 12, 2011 · in NEWS

BY George Onah

Port Harcourt- No fewer than 45 political parties in Rivers State have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate the state’s Independent Election Commission, RSIEC, over the N4.7 billion grant by the state government for political parties for the conduct of the 2011 council elections.

However, in a swift reaction, RSIEC said the grant was not subvention and that the commission reserved the right to deal with parties on the basis of performance, adding that in the past some parties merely collected monies and did not field candidates for any election.

The political parties, under the aegis of the Rivers State Association of Frontline Political Parties, said they were angered by the way part of the grant was disbursed before and after the election.

Led by its Chairman, Prince Uchechukwu Ichenwo and Secretary, Johnbull Obrasua, the association said RSIEC acknowledged that N8 million was due each party but got only N3 million in piece meal, leaving an outstanding of N5 million.

It alleged that 70 per cent of candidates in all the parties were disqualified by the commission so that the money due the parties would return to the commission’s purse. They added that even the released money was occasioned by the group’s decision to approach the court.

Mr. Nimi Walson-Jack, RSIEC’s Public Affairs Commissioner, said: “The balance of the money not paid to the parties would be returned to the coffers of the state government.” He explained that there was no document anywhere that says the political parties must be given grants.

Walson-Jack said: “Come to think of it, there are 319 seats in Rivers State with 21/22 positions for chairmen. They were told to organise primaries but they did not. Some had only one seat for the election. How do we give N8 million to a party that wants to run election for only one seat? That was why they are opposed to pro-rata basis.

“Political parties, by the way, are not trade unions and we will only deal with the parties individually. As a commission, we will not give money to parties that refused to contest election only to take the money and buy themselves cars and build houses. We will not be party to that.

 SOURCE: Vannguard Newspaper, 12 October 2011.   http://www.vanguardngr.com/