..Parties have till 24th March to upload
..Ondo party Primaries to start in 2wks, says INEC
From: Mercy Peter
Only six political parties have uploaded the particulars of their candidates for the Edo governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said.
Prof Mahmood Yakubu who disclosed this on Tuesday said parties have till 24 March to upload the particulars of their candidates.
Yakubu also revealed that the primaries for the Ondo state governorship election scheduled for November 2024 will begin in next two weeks.
He spoke in Abuja at the INEC quarterly meeting with leaders of political parties.
He said, “The main focus of today’s meeting is the off-cycle Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States. As you are aware, the two elections are holding later this year.
“The Edo State Governorship election is holding in the next six months i.e. Saturday 21st September 2024 while the Ondo State Governorship election is holding in eight months i.e. Saturday 16thNovember 2024.
“Already, party primaries for the Edo State Governorship election have been concluded. 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.
“We have trained party Liaison Officers and established a Help Desk for political parties. The portal opened on 4th March 2024 and will automatically shut down at 6pm on Saturday 24thMarch 2024.
“Two weeks later, only six parties have uploaded their nominations to the portal.”
Yakubu urged parties to keep to schedule of activities and avoid last minute rush that may undermine their ability to successfully nominate your candidates.
He also warned that “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.”
On the Ondo State governorship election, Yakubu said, “Party primaries begin in the next two weeks on 6thApril 2024 and ends three weeks later on 27thApril 2024.”
He also disclosed that only 16 out of 19 political parties have indicated interest in participating in the election.
The INEC boss also urge political parties to adhere strictly to your proposed dates and modes of primaries.
He stressed, “Frequent changes as we witnessed recently during the Edo primaries are not only disruptive but costly. “The Commission cannot mobilise, demobilise and remobilise our officials for the monitoring of party primaries at the convenience of political parties.
“Parties should stick to their proposed dates and modes of primaries for certainty and optimal deployment of resources.”
He also warned political parties to avoid acrimonious primaries.
He said, “Increasingly, the conduct of parallel primaries and the emergence of multiple candidates is a frequent.”
