We won’t accept primaries conducted outside Ekiti, Osun — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that governorship primaries conducted outside Ekiti and Osun States will not be accepted

INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu gave the warning during the first quarterly meeting with Civil Society Organisations at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.

The Commission had raised concern parties participating in the governorship elections slated for June 18 and July 16 respectively were yet to submit the list of aspirants.

According to him: “In our meeting with political parties yesterday, we reminded them that all primaries for electing candidates must take place in the constituency where elections will hold as required by law.

“We also made it clear to them that in the cases of Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections, any primaries conducted outside the two States will not be monitored by the Commission and their outcomes will not be accepted.

“Party primaries for the Ekiti State Governorship election are scheduled for 4th – 29th January 2022. For the Osun State Governorship election, primaries will hold from 16th February to 12th March 2022. In the case of Ekiti State, all the 18 political parties have served the mandatory notices for the primaries.

“The year 2022 is going to be a very busy year for the Commission and civil society organisations. The 2023 General Election is just 395 days away. Critical preparations must be concluded this year. For instance, the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) which commenced in June last year has entered the third quarter.

“As at Monday 17th January 2022, a total of 8,260,076 eligible Nigerians commenced the online pre-registration; completed the registration physically; applied for a transfer to new voting locations; requested for replacement of their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), and updated their voter information records.

“In terms of occupation, students constitute the largest majority of registrants which is consistent with the dominance of young Nigerians as voters.

“We will continue to work with all stakeholders, especially the civil society organisations, to sensitise the youths and other categories of voters to ensure that beyond registration, they come and out and vote on Election Day. We should not simply lament, criticize and condemn. We must get involved for the good of our democracy and the nation”. (The Nation)