Disqualification Looms Over Parties As INEC Gives Final Say On Extension Of Deadline For Primaries
- For INEC, there will be no extension of the deadline for primaries to be conducted by political parties ahead of the 2023 elections
- In a statement on Thursday, May 5, the electoral commission made it clear that it will stick to its previous date
- This invariable means that parties that fail to meet the Friday, June 3, will be disqualified by the commission
Concerning the plea for the extension of deadlines for primaries across political parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has maintained its previous position, stressing that the Friday, June 3, stipulated date remains “firm and fixed”.
In its statement, the national electoral body said all parties have not more than one more from Thursday, May 5, The Cable reports.
Source: Original
INEC's chairman, information and voter education committee, Festus Okoye, said nominations for presidential and national assembly elections should be submitted between June 10 and 17
Okoye added that those of governorship and state houses of assembly will span from July 1 to July 15.
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The statement said:
“In compliance with section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, all 18 political parties have served the required notices indicating the dates for their conventions, congresses, and primaries for the purpose of nominating candidates for various elective offices as specified in the Constitution and the Electoral Act. Some of the parties have already commenced the process for which the Commission has deployed staff to monitor the exercise as required by law.
“Given the importance of the exercise to the emergence of candidates for the various elective positions for the 2023 General Election, it is imperative to remind political parties that they have one month from today to conclude their primaries. The deadline remains Friday 3rd June 2022. While urging the parties to ensure rancour-free and transparent exercise, the Commission reiterates that the deadline is firm and fixed."
Read the commission's full statement in the tweet below:
2023: INEC raises fresh concerns, vows to disqualify erring parties
Earlier, ahead of the primaries of political parties scheduled to end on June 3, INEC said it would authenticate the membership registers submitted to it by the parties.
It, however, warns that any political party that falsifies its figures or has multiple registrations on its register may have its candidate(s) disqualified.
It said whether the parties choose to adopt direct or indirect primaries, the commission would verify their delegates’ lists against the registers they submitted, adding that no infraction would be tolerated from the 18 registered political parties.
Source: Legit.ng
