By DAVID ADEOYE

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised an alarm over smear campaigns among political parties and threatened to sanction erring parties.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Prof. Adeniran Tella, raised the alarm at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Ibadan on Thursday.

Tella said the commission had observed with deep concern a rise in abusive, intemperate and inflammatory language during the ongoing political campaigns.

He said the commission has the statutory responsibility to monitor campaigns and enforce compliance within the Code of Conduct for political parties.

The REC maintained that campaign activities should be issue-based “and not based on personality, ethnic or religious matters”.

Tella added that Section 96 of the Electoral Act, 2026 prohibits campaign language that could harm religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings or provoke violence.

He reminded politicians that individuals who err will face fines of up to N5 million or a 12-month imprisonment.

“Political parties will face fines up to N10 million for a first offence,” he said.

Tella directed political parties in the state to submit schedules of their campaign activities, including specific venues and dates of their rallies and meetings, to the commission’s state headquarters for monitoring.

Speaking on the participating political parties’ candidates in the forthcoming general election, the REC said 38 candidates are vying for the three senatorial district seats.

According to him, 151 candidates are vying for the 14 House of Representatives seats.

“Regarding the governorship and State House of Assembly elections, the commission has published the particulars of candidates on Form EC9.

“The final list for state-level candidates is scheduled for publication on Oct. 10.

“So, I urge all party leaders to verify the details of their candidates and ensure that their credentials are in order, as there will be no room for errors at that stage,” he stated.

The REC further informed the public that the commission had opened its portal for the recruitment exercise of ad-hoc staff to be deployed across 6,319 polling units in the state.

According to him, the portal: pres.inecnigeria.org and http://www.inecnigeria.org/pres.apk or https://inecpres-app.com/pres-app.apk, opened on Sept. 18, will remain accessible until midnight on Nov. 18.

He promised a level playing field for all and appealed to all political parties, candidates, and their supporters that politics is a contest of ideas, not a war.

“We shall remain impartial, transparent and accountable as an umpire in the electoral process,” he said.

In his goodwill message, the police representative, Mr Usen Ekanem, said political parties and their candidates should be decorous and campaign with a focus on what they will do for the electorate.

He said all political parties should endeavour to inform the police of their rally/campaign venues and dates 48 hours in advance to enable the provision of security officers.

The representative of the Department of State Security (DSS), G. E. Akaram, urged political parties to shun violence and refrain from destroying their opponents’ campaign billboards.

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) representative, Mrs Florence Shiyanbade, urged political parties to focus on their manifestoes instead of engaging in fights and violence with their opponents.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), represented by Mrs Olajumoke Odususi, called on political parties to support INEC and security agencies to conduct credible elections.

Odususi, who is the state Deputy Chairman of IPAC, said the council had started orienting its members on the need to ensure their campaigns are issue-based.

She called on all political parties not to see the forthcoming elections as a do-or-die affair. (NAN)