INEC gives 15 political parties in Edo 10-day ultimatum to conduct primaries

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given no fewer than 15 political parties a 10-day ultimatum to ensure that they conduct their primaries ahead of the September 19 Governorship Election in Edo state.

INEC boss, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu gave the ultimatum on Wednesday in Abuja during the second virtual meeting of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security ICCES.

According to Prof. Yakubu there would not be an extension to the timetable for any party that misses out on the stated deadline.

He said; “Turning to the Edo Governorship election, all political parties interested in fielding candidates for the election are reminded that they must conclude their primaries for the nomination of candidates in the next 10 days. The deadline is Saturday 27th June 2020. I must stress that the date is firm and fixed. There will be no extension of the deadline.

“While the conduct of primaries and nomination of candidates will be the sole responsibility of political parties, our officials will monitor the primaries as required by law. Already, the Commission has published the date and mode of primaries for each of the 15 political parties that indicated their intention to participate in the election.

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“Similarly, there will be no extension of time for political parties that fail to submit the names and other details of the candidates that emerge from their primaries using the dedicated portal created by the Commission. For emphasis, the deadline is 6:00 pm on Monday 29th June 2020. Arising from our experience in managing the nomination of candidates for the last two Governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States, it is important to draw the attention of political parties to the four mandatory requirements for eligibility of candidates for Governorship elections enshrined in Section 177 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“A candidate nominated by a political party must be a Nigerian citizen by birth; must have attained the age of thirty-five (35) years; must be a member of, and sponsored by, a political party; and must be educated up to at least School Certificate level or equivalent. Adherence to these clear constitutional provisions is compulsory in order to avoid the unnecessary litigations that follow the nomination of candidates, some of which are still pending before the Courts. In fact, one of such cases involving the attempt to substitute an ineligible candidate by one of the political parties was determined only yesterday by the Supreme Court in favour of INEC,” he added.

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