The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier yesterday acceded to the request of the political parties to adjust the timetable for the 2023 polls. The Commission agreed to extend the deadline for the conduit of party primaries by six days.

The INEC Management had met with the leadership of the political parties under the auspices of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) where the parties made afresh appeal to the Commission to reconsider its earlier position and alter the timetable.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee Festus Okoye, said  the commission  decided to allow the request of the political parties since the six-day period does not conflict with the next scheduled activity which is the submission of the list of nominated candidates or any of the subsequent timelines which remain sacrosanct.

In a letter titled: “Party Primaries and submission of List of Nominated Candidates” dated 27th May, 2022 and signed by Festus Okoye, Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, the Commission said that the parties had pleaded with it to “use the 6 day period between 4th and 9th June, 2022 to conclude outstanding primaries and prepare to upload the list of candidates and their affidavits to the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal” and that the Commission decided to allow the request since the period would not conflict with the next scheduled activity of the Commission.

It however stressed that “this request is granted in respect of outstanding primaries only without prejudice to those already concluded by political parties. The Commission will not monitor already concluded primaries. and prepare to upload”.

It is a known fact that the two major political parties, APC and PDP had been finding it difficult to hold their presidential primaries and had been shifting their dates to monitor the activities of the other. PDP is holding its national convention in Abuja this Saturday to elect its presidential standard bearer while APC had again shifted its to next week.

Source: Drumnewsonline