By the 31 of December, all nine political parties in the country would have held their congresses. They would have consolidated their membership and programme themselves on what to do beginning 1st January 2019.
What type of political atmosphere is going to be generated in 2019? Will each party begin the race for the next presidential election or will they be waiting for the IEC to blow the whistle? The fact that they have held their congresses is an indication that parties will no longer be waiting for the IEC before they go back to seek the mandate of the people. Section 103A stipulates the mandate of the political parties as follows:
“Subject to the provisions of this Part, political parties may be established to-
- participate in the shaping of the political will of the people;
- disseminate information of political ideas and on political, economic and social programmes of national character; and
- sponsor candidates for public elections.”
If all political parties adhere to the mandate of this section, then it would be wrong for political parties to focus only in contesting elections. All parties should sensitise the people so that they will make informed choice.
With the proliferation of media houses of all shapes, information is likely to be the most cherished product that the political parties could generate. Hence one should envisage a very lively political terrain commencing 1st January 2019.
