the electoral forum FIFTH technical session

The Fifth Technical Session of The Electoral Forum held on Saturday, 14 May 2022 at 3:30 pm via the Zoom Platform. The Meeting was held to discuss and brainstorm the recent happenings in the political and electoral scene. The Chairman, Professor Olukoshi highlighted the issues and contestations following the signing of the Electoral Act by the President namely:

• The recent amendment (Section 84 (8)) that was deliberated and passed in one day by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• The timetable announced by the INEC which unleashed a flurry of activities including the request by IPAC calling on INEC to revise its calendar to accommodate some of their internal political alignments.
• The exorbitant price of political parties’ presidential forms and in particular, the increasing number of persons picking up the N100 million form of the APC.
• The withdrawal of declared interest which was occasioned by the President’s announcement that members of his Cabinet vying for positions for the 2023 general elections should send in their resignation.

The objectives of the meeting included:

• Discuss the amendment of Section 84 (12) of the 2022 Electoral Act and its implication on the governance, political parties, and aspirants.
• Address the purchase of nomination forms by aspirants leading to primaries and selection of candidates.
• Examine the preparedness of INEC for the general elections in view of the Ekiti and Osun State elections.
• Provide recommendations to improve the electoral process ahead of the Ekiti/Osun governorship elections, and the 2023 general elections.