Ahead of the primary elections and nomination of candidates for the November 6, 2021 Anambra State and Osun State 2022 governorship elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , Prof Mahmood Yakubu has cautioned political parties against allowing the courts to decide their candidates.
He said that such is possible if the parties sidestep the laws, their constitution and regulations of the commission guiding the conduct of Primaries and nomination of candidates.
Addressing the chairmen of political parties at the quarterly consultative meeting with political parties at INEC national headquarters, Thursday, in Abuja, Prof Yakubu decried situation where political parties often allow court litigations to decide their choice of candidates long after INEC had concluded elections.
Prof Yakubu said the parties should exhibit the same high sense of probity and transparency which they expect from the commission, as he stressed need for parties to strictly comply with timelines and guidelines issued by the election umpire.
“I would like to remind political parties about the recent letters written to you by the Commission on the imperative of complying with the provisions of the law as well as our regulations governing the conduct of party primaries and nomination of candidates.
“The Commission is not happy that candidates for elections are now being determined through litigation long after elections have been concluded and winners declared by INEC. The problem lies squarely with the conduct of party primaries and nomination of candidates by some political parties.
“We urge you to hold yourselves to the same high standard of free, fair, and credible elections that you hold INEC in all elections. You must ensure strict compliance with your party Constitutions, the law and the Commission’s regulations and guidelines on party primaries in particular and the management of party affairs in general.
“After all, Nigerians only exercise their democratic right to elect leaders from the candidates presented by political parties. Electing good leaders begins with the quality of primaries conducted by political parties. We will do our part to ensure that our elections continue to improve”.
On the scheduled Anambra State governorship election,the INEC Chairman disclosed that all the 18 political parties have indicated their intentions to participate in the poll and have also scheduled dates for Primaries.
However,for the FCT area council election, he said “political parties have concluded their primaries for the 68 constituencies made up of 6 Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councillors. A total of 14 out of 18 political parties have nominated 110 candidates for Chairmanship/Deputy Chairmanship positions and 362 candidates for Councillorships. Altogether, 14 political parties have nominated 472 candidates to vie for 68 elective positions in the FCT”.
Meanwhile the commission has announced the commencement of the 2021 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) effective Monday June 28th, starting with a roadshow in the FCT.
