The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced the end of all political parties primaries for the 2023 general election, warning that the commission will only accept names of candidates that emerged from democratic primaries as provided by section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, in Abuja on Thursday.
Yakubu noted that the deadline for political parties primaries elapsed on Thursday, 9th June 2022, stating that from 10th June 2022, all political parties are required to submit their list of candidates for national elections including Presidential/Vice Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives, latest by Friday 17th June 2022.
The INEC boss further noted that the list of candidates for state elections: governorship/deputy governorship and state houses of assembly shall be uploaded from 1st to 15th July 2022 as already provided in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election.
“All Political Parties are required to upload the details of their candidates for each constituency to the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, ICNP. To achieve this objective, four officials recommended by each of the 18 political parties were trained on the procedure for uploading the nomination forms to the dedicated web portal. Confidential Access Codes to the portal have already been given to each Political Party to facilitate the uploading of its nominations.
“For emphasis, the Commission wishes to remind Political Parties that only the names of candidates that emerged from democratic primaries as provided by Sec. 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 shall be submitted to the Commission.
“Similarly, the list of all Presidential and Governorship candidates must be accompanied by the names of their running mates (i.e. Vice Presidential and Deputy Governorship candidates) without which the nomination is invalid. All nominations must be uploaded to the portal on/or before the deadlines.
“The portal will automatically shut down at 6.00pm (1800hrs) on Friday 17th June 2022 for national elections and 6.00pm (1800hrs) on Friday 15th July 2022 for State elections. With this innovation, the Commission has eliminated the physical interface between party officials and INEC staff for the purpose of submitting the list of candidates for the 2023 General Election,” he said.
According to him, a nomination centre has been set up at the commission’s headquarters to receive and process all nominations by political parties, including dedicated telephone lines to serve as help desk for any party that may need assistance.
Speaking on the continuous voters registration, CVR, exercise, he said despite initial challenges, the CVR has continued nationwide, adding that the commission has received reports of a surge in the number prospective registrants as the deadline for the suspension of the current exercise approaches.
Yakubu reassured Nigerians that the commission remains committed to ensuring that all citizens who wish to register are given the opportunity to do so.
He added that some of Resident Electoral Commissioners have requested for more voter registration machines to ease the congestion, pledging that INEC will deploy additional machines to areas of need immediately.
“Thereafter, the Commission will meet to review the progress of the exercise and take further decisions. We will always respond positively to the needs of Nigerians and therefore appeal to all citizens to be patient with the Commission as we strive to serve them better. We appreciate the desire of Nigerians to register as voters. Let me reassure all eligible registrants that no one will be left out,” he said.