2019: Parties, CSOs partner to strengthen internal democracy

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, registered political parties under the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and some election focused civil society organisations (CSOs), have validated a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen party primaries and internal democracy.

The signing was done yesterday in Abuja, at a roundtable on Internal Party Democracy MoU Validation meeting themed ‘Role of CSOs in Strengthening Political Party Primaries in Nigeria,’ organised by the International Republican Institute (IRI), USAID, Partners for Electoral Reforms (PER) and IPAC.

The Country Director of IRI, Mr Sentell Barnes, said the validation was a follow-up to the April 24, 2017 meeting on strengthening the role of CSOs in internal party elections.

“The major outcome of the first meeting was the need to re-visit the MoU signed between parties and CSOs, taking cognizance of challenges that hindered its effective implementation.

“For us in IRI, we are convinced that this is one means of promoting party dialogue with other electoral stakeholders and enhancing transparency and credibility of internal party processes,” Barnes said.

The meeting also saw the election of a seven-member governing board that will coordinate activities of the partnership, with the National Chairman of People Democratic Movement (PDM), Alhaji Bashir Ibrahim Yusuf, emerging as the chairman.

Other members of the board representing political parties included Georgina Dakpokpo (Youth Democratic Party), Agbo Major (New Nigeria Peoples Party) and Godson Okoye (United Democratic Party), while CSOs representative are Umoh Ekaete (Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities), Ezenwa Nwagwu (PER) and Mma Odi (Alliance for Credible Elections).