2023: INEC bows to pressure, shifts primaries deadline by a week

By Tunde Opalana

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has bowed to pressure from political parties to shift deadline for conduct of primary elections.

The Commission came to the conclusion after more than three hours meeting with the leadership of political parties on Friday at the INEC secretariat, Abuja.

INEC agreed to request by parties at the meeting that the commission should allow for an extension of the 6-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.

Barrister Festus Okoye, Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, made this known in a statement issued late evening yesterday.

Earlier, the political parties had requested for 37 – 60 days extension of the timeline for primaries and the nomination of cannddidates.

But 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 6-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.”

Recall that the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) had reiterated its call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to consider a review of its approved deadline for political parties to conclude their primaries for 2023 general elections.

IPAC, the umbrella body of the 18 registered political parties, made the request when its National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, led other parties’ leaders on a courtesy call on INEC in Abuja, DailyTimes gathered.

Sani said that the meeting was in furtherance to their demand on INEC to extend the June 3 deadline for the political parties to be able to conduct crisis free primaries.

He recalled that IPAC on May 1 after its interactive section with INEC wrote a letter to the chairman of the commission to take a second look at their request considering the fact that the deadline was tight for political parties.

According to him, it is imperative for INEC to heed their appeal especially as the 2022 Electoral Law is being put to test for first time, which may be prone to mistakes.

“We feel that if we’re given more time, we’ll be able to deliver on the promise of having a free and fair elections as we conduct our primaries.

“Mr Chairman, this meeting is coming on the heels of the meeting that leaders of political parties held where we unanimously agreed to seek another round of discussion with you, given the critical necessity of the extension.

“In fact, we are very grateful to you because of the innovations that you have brought to the electoral process.

“We want to be partner in progress that is why we are asking you to give us some little adjustment in the timetable to enable us carry out this very important assignment,” Sani said.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has frowned on INEC’s decision to extend the deadline for party primaries by six days.

PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologungba, said INEC has changed the goalpost in the middle of the game, stressing that certainty of elections is the bedrock of democracy.

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He was speaking at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, where the PDP is scheduled to hold its special National Convention today (Saturday).

“The consequences will be grave for the country. And of course we have to look at that.

“The bedrock of democracy is certainty of elections and the fact that the rules are clear to every participant; and you cannot shift the goalpost in the middle of the game,” he said.