The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday granted the request of political parties to adjust the timetable for the 2023 polls by extending the deadline for the conduct of party primaries by six days.
This was coming after a closed door meeting with the leadership of the political parties under the auspices of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
The parties during the Friday meeting made a fresh appeal to the Commission to reconsider its earlier position and alter the timetable.
The Commission, in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee Dr Festus Okoye said it has decided to use the window of six days when there are no activities in the commission’s schedule, to allow the request of the political parties. He said the days between June 4- 9, 2022 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.
Okoye however stressed that the request is granted in respect of outstanding primaries only without prejudice to those already concluded by political parties. He maintained that the commission will not monitor already concluded primaries.”
He added: “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.
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.”
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