In his welcome speech, Project Coordinator, European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), Mr. Rudolf Elbling, said political parties, which are primary stakeholders in the electoral process, should carry out their activities, especially in the areas of campaign finance and conduct of primaries, in a manner that implicates the transparency and integrity of the electoral system.
He noted that excessive and improper deployment of money compromised the freedom of people to exercise their choices in elections, stressing that the decision to put the workshop together was with the objectives of building the capacity of INEC staff to effectively monitor the campaign finances of political parties ahead of the 2019 election.
Elbling said the workshop was timely, adding, “This will also draw useful lessons from the recently conducted primaries of political parties.”
On his part, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Cross River State, Frankland Briyai, said the workshop would address issues concerning political parties’ refusal to disclose their finances.
Briyai, who spoke through INEC Administrative Secretary, Mrs. Irene Okoma, said it had been a great challenge for the commission to monitor such processes and urged INEC staff to take advantage of the training.
