*Gives parties up to June 17 to upload nominated candidates
The Independent National Electoral Commission has (INEC) has extended time for uploading candidates particulars for their candidates to June 17.
The decision, according to the National Commissioner and Chairman (Information and Voter Education) Barr. Festus Okoye, is to enabke the parties review the timelines for schedule of their activities.
He said that at the end of INEC meeting with the leadership of political parties where the commission was requested to review the timelines, it decided to do so to accommodate the concern of the parties.
Recalled that the political parties had in a similar meeting, requested for 37 – 60 days extension of the timeline for primaries and the nomination of candidates.
INEC was emphatic then that the request could not be granted because it would disrupt other scheduled activities on the timetable.
But, even though it did not immediately accept to the request of the parties or do so the next day, but few minutes after some of the parties was at the verge of putting finishing touches to the preparation for the venue of their convention, INEC suddenly announced the shift in deadline.
Political analysts allude to an “unholy alliance” with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to have made this sudden change in its mind.
Okoye said even though the parties pleaded with the Commission to use the 6-day period between 4th and 9th June 2022 to conclude outstanding primaries to upload the list of their candidates and reschedule affidavits on the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal, they now decided to accept the plea at the last minute.
Barr. Okoye said INEC did not schedule any specific activity during the period but now have seen reason to extend the deadline.
He said the commission accepted to the request to give political parties time to compile the list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates before to the INEC portal from 10th to 17th June.
He said that since the six-day period does not conflict with the next schedule of activity which is the submission of the list of nominated candidates or any of the subsequent timelines, those ones remain sacrosanct.
Okoye confirmed that the request was granted only in respect of outstanding primaries without prejudice to those already concluded by political parties.
