Ahead of the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told 16 of the nation’s 18 registered political parties that have met the deadline to notify it of their dates and modes of primaries, and to be wary of illegalities.
The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Sam Olumekun, gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja.
He recalled that the commission released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Edo State off-cycle governorship election, including the conduct of primaries by political parties scheduled for February 1-24, which is one of the activities listed for the election.
He urged the parties to avoid unnecessary postponement, arbitrary change of venues of their primaries, wholesale change of delegates’ list or the submission of names that did not emerge from valid primaries as candidates for the election.
He warned the parties to also avoid rancorous primaries that often lead to the breakdown of law and order as a result of non-adherence to the provisions of their constitutions and guidelines.
“These are some of the issues that lead to numerous pre-election litigations,” Olumekun also said.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has assured of free, fair and credible governorship primaries in Edo on Feb. 17.
He said this when he inaugurated the party’s screening and appeal committees headed by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, a former Minister of Sports, in Abuja on Thursday.
Ganduje, represented by Suleiman Argungu, the APC National Organising Secretary, stressed that the five-man screening committee should be transparent and fair to all aspirants.
