The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said all
political parties must conduct their primaries for the Edo State
governorship election and submit a list of candidates within the next 10
days.
Chairman of the Commission, Professor
Mahmoud Yakubu gave the deadline in a speech he delivered at the second
virtual meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election
Security.
About 15 political parties have since
notified the electoral body of their intention to field candidates in
the election fixed for September.
Professor
Yakubu, at a recent meeting with chairmen of political parties, asked
them to submit the list of delegates and membership registers for
indirect and direct primaries respectively depending on the mode adopted
by the parties.
At Wednesday meeting,
Professor Yakubu insisted that June 29 remained deadlines for submission
of candidates for the 15 political parties.
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 ten (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 fifteen (15) political parties that indicated
their intention to participate in the election.
“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.”
Addressing
the gathering of heads of security agencies and staff of his
Commission, Professor Yakubu urged them to maintain neutrality in the
course of their duties in the electoral process.
“As
we approach the governorship elections, the Commission and security
agencies will play a critical role. We should remain proactive during
the party primaries, electioneering campaigns, voting and eventual
declaration of results. We must safeguard the process and protect all
those involved as voters, INEC officials, observers, the media and even
some of the unarmed security personnel deployed to the polling units.
Doing so requires professionalism and neutrality. In the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic, we should also ensure compliance with the protective
measures contained in the recently published Commission’s policy as well
as the advisory by health authorities. In the context of the current
global health emergency, we have the additional responsibility to ensure
the conduct of free, fair, credible and safe elections.”