2023: No going back on date for party primaries – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said there is no good back on the date for political parties to conduct primary elections ahead of the 2023 general elections.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Professor Mahmood Yakubu made this known on Wednesday at a press conference at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In his text of address, Yakubu revealed that ten political parties have served notices to the Commission for the conduct of their primaries.

“The Commission wishes to reiterate that the dates for all activities in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election, including the conduct of party primaries, are firm and fixed.

“Already, ten political parties have served notices to the Commission for the conduct of their primaries. With 52 days to the last day for the conduct of primaries (i.e. 3rd June 2022), political parties are once again admonished to adhere strictly to all dates in the Timetable, including the nomination of their candidates via the INEC web portal.

“Such nominated candidates must emerge from valid primaries as provided in Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022. This is necessary to avoid the unhappy consequences of any breach of the Commission’s Timetable or the Electoral Act,” the INEC Chairman stated.

TNG reports Yakubu as saying permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) are now ready for collection for persons who registered in the first and second quarters of the continuous voters registration (CVR) exercise.