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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
As correctly predicted by The Sun on its online platform last night, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may have bowed to pressures from political parties to extend the deadline for the conduct of primaries, shifting it by one week.
Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) had made a fresh appeal to the commission for the extension by one week, pleading that it will enable them to conclude all logistics concerning the primaries.
IPAC chairman, Sani Yabagi, in his request during an emergency meeting with the commission in Abuja on Friday, claimed that “if we are given more time, we will be able to deliver on the promise of having a free and fair elections as we conduct our primaries.
While strengthening the request, the national chairman of Zenith Labour Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, specifically requested for an extension to June 9.
“Mr Chairman before you respond, this was our position and this meeting was at our instance because of how we have overworked ourselves.
“The window he is talking about which we want to put before you to consider and plead with you has to do with what happens between the June 3 when primaries would have ended and up to June 9 and we start uploading what we got from the primaries.
“What we are pleading for is nothing but to allow the parties window because during this time nothing is happening is just for the parties to start preparing their documentation. So if it please the Commission allow us between 3rd and 9th so that the political parties so that the political parties can put their house together up to 10.
“We asked for 30 days you refused us, we asked for two months, you refused us. All the things we asked you refused us. I think this one will not affect the timetable. It will not shift the date of election. It will not do anything. We just need this window so that those things we have not done, we can technically take them up to that time when we are preparing our documentation,” he appealed.
Although, Commission’s chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, promised to look into the request, the statement issued after the meeting, signed by National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, confirmed the extension.
“INEC met with the leadership of political parties today Friday. Once again, the political parties requested the Commission to review the timelines for political party primaries provided in the timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of the 2023 general election released on Saturday February 26, 2022.
“Earlier, the political parties had requested for 37 – 60 days extension of the timeline for primaries and the nomination of candidates. The commission was emphatic that this request could not be granted because it would disrupt other scheduled activities on the Timetable. This position of the Commission has not changed.
“However, based on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election, the parties have now pleaded with the Commission to use the six-day period between 4th and 9th June 2022 to conclude outstanding primaries and prepare to upload the list of candidates and their affidavits on the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal.
“The commission did not schedule any specific activity during this period. The idea is to simply give parties time to compile the list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates before uploading same to the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal from 10th – 17th June 2022.
“The commission has decided to allow the request of the political parties since the six-day period does not conflict with the next scheduled activity which is the submission of the list of nominated candidates or any of the subsequent timelines which remain sacrosanct.
“However, this request is granted in respect of outstanding primaries only without prejudice to those already concluded by political parties. The Commission will not monitor already concluded primaries,” the commission noted in the statement.
Giving more information about INEC candidates nomination portal, the statement read: “After the conduct of primaries, the next critical activity for political parties is the online submission of the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor which shall be accompanied by an affidavit sworn to by the candidates indicating that they fulfilled all the constitutional requirements for election into the various offices via the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal.
“In addition, the commission, based on past experience, has decided to train the political party officials to make efficient and effective use of the portal. The Commission will train four officials from each of the 18 political parties, making a total of 72 in all.
