*** Says only six of 19 political parties uploaded nominations to portal
By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Two weeks to the commencement of the Ondo State Governorship election party primaries, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned the 19 registered political parties to avoid acrimonious primaries.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu gave this warning at the first regular quarterly consultative meeting of 2024 between the Commission and the leadership of the umbrella body of political parties in Nigeria, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Tuesday at INEC Conference Room, Maitama, Abuja
According to Yakubu, increasingly, the conduct of parallel primaries by political parties and the emergence of multiple candidates is a frequent occurrence, and so too is the tendency to grant waivers to candidates who were a few days earlier card-carrying members of other political parties and nominating such persons to the Commission as their candidates for election.
For the Ondo state governorship election, Yakubu said party primaries will begin in the next two weeks, specifically on April 6 2024 and ends three weeks later on April 27, 2024.
He however revealed that so far, 16 out of 19 political parties have indicated interest in participating in the Ondo state gubernatorial
election.
The INEC boss therefore urged political parties to adhere strictly to their proposed dates and modes of primaries, pointing out that “frequent changes as we witnessed recently during the Edo primaries are not only disruptive but costly”.
Said he: “The Commission cannot mobilise, demobilise and remobilise our officials for the monitoring of party primaries at the convenience of political parties. Parties should stick to their proposed dates and modes of primaries for certainty and optimal deployment of resources.
“Similarly, political parties should avoid acrimonious primaries. Increasingly, the conduct of parallel primaries and the emergence of multiple candidates is a frequent occurrence. So too is the tendency to grant waivers to candidates who were a few days earlier card-carrying members of other political parties and nominating such persons to the Commission as their candidates for election.
“Some of these infractions lead to unnecessary litigations among party members in which the Commission is always joined as a party. The legal fees and cost of producing Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents can be used more productively in other electoral activities by both the political parties and the Commission. We must find a solution to this situation”.
Meanwhile, the INEC Chairman has revealed that two weeks after the governorship primaries ended in Edo state, only six out of the 19 political parties have uploaded the particulars of their nominations to the INEC portal, urging them to keep to the schedule of activities and avoid last minute rush that may undermine their ability to successfully nominate party candidates.
He used the opportunity to welcome and congratulate the new Chairman of IPAC who is also the Chairman of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Yusuf Dantalle, and other officials of the Council on their election.
Yakubu said the Commission looks forward to working with him harmoniously in the best interest of our electoral democracy of which political parties are a strong pillar for elective representation.
Present at the meeting are Chairmen or the representatives of political parties in Nigeria.
