By Godfrey AKON
Ahead of the Ondo State governorship party primaries holding from April 6 to April 27, 2024, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned political parties against conducting acrimonious primary elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who issued the warning at the first regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties for 2024 in Abuja, on Tuesday, urged parties to adhere strictly to their proposed dates and modes of primaries.
Yakubu added that frequent changes as witnessed recently during the Edo primaries are not only disruptive but costly to the commission.
The INEC chairman further warned that the commission cannot mobilise, demobilise and remobilise its officials for the monitoring of party primaries at the convenience of political parties, adding that parties should stick to their proposed dates and modes of primaries for certainty and optimal deployment of resources.
“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,” he said.
He announced that Edo State Governorship election will hold in the next six months on Saturday, 21st September 2024, while the Ondo State Governorship election will hold in eight months or Saturday, 16th November 2024.
Yakubu stated that while party primaries for the Edo State Governorship election have been concluded, two weeks later, only six parties have uploaded their nominations to INEC portal.
“By the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, political parties have 20 days to upload the list and personal particulars of their candidates to our dedicated portal. The portal opened on 4th March 2024 and will automatically shut down at 6pm on Saturday 24thMarch 2024.
He urged parties to keep to their schedule of activities and avoid last minute rush that may undermine their ability to successfully nominate their candidates.
“There will be no extension of time beyond the deadline already published in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, to enable us publish the personal particulars of candidates (Form EC9) on 31st March 2024 as required by law,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Interparty Advisory Council, IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, said IPAC’s leadership will live up to its mandate to ensure an environment conducive for the conduct of successful elections.
Dantalle said the council will set up a Constitution and Electoral Act Amendments Committee to review glaring irregularities in recent elections and make proposals to the National Assembly in its ongoing Constitution and Electoral Act amendments.
He further pledged that the council will be proactive to ensure that the Edo and Ondo States gubernatorial elections meet the expectations of Nigerians and international community.
“There should be no excuse for poor performance. IPAC will constantly engage INEC and major stakeholders to ensure the success of these elections and will be there for mobilization of voters, sensitization and monitoring of polls,” he said.
