Abuja — Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Solomon Soyebi, yesterday painted a gloomy picture of the 2011 general election, saying that time is the greatest problem and as such the commission may not meet up with the requirement for a smooth process.

Speaking at a one-day public hearing organised by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Constitutional Review and the Committee on Electoral Matters, the INEC boss also disclosed that the commission has concluded plans to register three more political parties, adding that as the law stands there is no control over the registration of parties or the number to be registered.

"If anybody knocks on our door at any time for registration and the party is qualified, we have to register it," he said. "Again, the law said that if any party applies for registration and is not registered after 30 days the party is deemed to have been registered."

Soyebi, who took time to reel out the foreseeable impediments to the conduct of the 2011 elections, said that time is the greatest threat to the 2011 elections.

He stated that the absence of a new electoral law that will guide the election is a major problem. "Up till now there is no electoral law to guide the election," he said.

He revealed that INEC requires 400,000 workers for the election and 120,000 polling units for the polls. "Presently we have only 97,000 electronically registered polling units."

Another major issue, according to Soyebi, is the problem that could be created by the proposed independent candidates. He told the audience that independent candidacy would create logistic problems like ballot papers and so on.

"A situation where over 200 people would file out for one post and you expect them to appear in one ballot paper, that would cause problem. If it were to be so in the Anambra election, the result would not have been ready by now.

"INEC right now needs five million ballot papers for the 2011 election and it requires a minimum of five months to be prepared, adding that with independent candidates it could be more. In fact, we may even print booklet. "We don't have the time, we must be mindful of the time we have at hand."

On internal democracy within the political parties, he said that INEC has no control over the issue. He said the law only gives INEC the power to monitor activities of political parties but does not provide for what to do next. He disclosed that grants to political parties are statutory, adding that it is a constitutional provision for political parties and "it is on equal basis".

Also speaking at the hearing, the Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) Acting National Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Bello Halliru, said that his party is the only one out of the 60 political parties that has the structure, the institutions and the policies that promote internal democracy.

He said the ruling party is the only one that conducts regular primaries for candidates. "Though we have our lapses, even our detractors acknowledge that we are the only party that have and promote internal democracy. No matter the shortcomings in PDP, we make attempt to go through the process in line with the constitution. Other parties don't do that," he sai