Independent National Electoral Commission and P O L I T I C a L Pa R T Y Financing in Nigeria: a Study O F Yala Lga, Cross River State

A B S T R A C TThis study was carried in the findings on Independent National Electoral Commissionand Political Party Financing in Nigeria: A study of Yala LGA, Cross River State. Thestudy was carried out to investigate the level INEC enforced political laws and financeregulations available to political parties in the 2019 and 2023 general elections in Yala LocalGovernment Area of Cross River State Nigeria, to determine the level INEC monitored records ofpolitical parties and their campaign funds in the 2019 and 2023 general elections in Yala LocalGovernment Area of Cross River State and to highlight the challenges faced by INEC inmonitoring political campaign financing in the 2019 and 2023 general elections in Yala LocalGovernment Area. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling wasemployed in this study. The population size comprised of the staff of INEC state office, Calabar.Using Yamane formula in determining the sample size, the researcher randomly selected 302respondents and 300 were validated. The validated questionnaires were used for data collectionand were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment correlation co-efficient statistical tool. Theresult of the findings reveals that there is no significant relationship between INEC andenforcement of political laws in 2019 and 2023 general elections in Yala Local Government Areaand that there is no significant relationship between the level INEC monitor records of politicalparties contributions and their campaign funds in the 2019 and 2023 general elections in YalaLocal Government Area of Cross River State. Therefore it was recommended among others thatINEC should be empowered constitutionally and made more independent by making, its sourcesof funds to emerge directly from the consolidated revenue or the Federation account which willminimize its dependency on the executive for statutory allocations and lawmakers for approval. Itwill enable an independent INEC to discharge its duties freely without any favour, INEC shouldimpose strict sanction on those erring political parties who fail in keeping adequate records of itsfinancial donors. Corporate bodies that donate huge funds for electioneering campaigns should beprosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.