The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) says the spate of pre-election litigations as well as
conflicting court orders can disrupt the smooth conduct of primaries and the
forthcoming governorship election in Edo state.
In a statement on Tuesday, Festus
Okoye, INEC’s national commissioner for information and voter education, said
the commission deliberated on a range of issues concerning the governorship
election which is slated for September 19.
INEC said following the meeting,
the conduct of party primaries, including resolution of disputes, will end on
June 27, 2020.
It added that the submission of
the list of candidates the parties propose to present at the election and
affidavits of validly nominated candidates will close at 6pm on June 29, 2020.
On court orders, the commission
said the spate of pre-election litigations and conflicting orders emanating
from such can affect the smooth conduct of primaries and the upcoming election.
“In view of this and as part of its
commitment to deepen the use of technology in elections, the commission will
conduct a training programme for Liaison Officers nominated by all the
registered Political Parties on the use of the INEC Portal for uploading
nomination forms of candidates,” Okoye said.
“The training will take place at
the Conference Hall of the Commission on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th June
2020 in two batches, to allow for physical distancing in line with the COVID-19
protocols.
“Political Parties should note
that the organisation and scheduling of various activities and processes
leading to the conduct of elections are complex and involve extensive and
careful planning and any disruption of these processes comes at a huge cost to
the nation.
“The spate and tenor of pre-election
litigations and the conflicting orders emanating therefrom can harm the smooth
conduct of primaries and the upcoming elections.”
It added that the commission is
closely monitoring cases arising from the administration of political parties,
conduct of primaries, and nomination of candidates and restated INEC’s
commitment to obey all orders and judgements in accordance with the rule of
law.
INEC said it has also considered
the report from the meeting of the inter-agency consultative committee on election
security (ICCES), which recently approved a code of conduct and rules of
engagement for security officials on electoral duty.
It said, the code, signed by the
chairman of INEC, the national security adviser (NSA) as co-chairman of ICCES
and the inspector-general of police (IGP), will be uploaded on the websites of
INEC, the office of the NSA and the Nigeria police force on June 25, 2020.
The APC has been embroiled in a
leadership crisis following the appeal court ruling that upheld the suspension
of Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman of the party.
While the party announced Abiola
Ajimobi, former Oyo governor, as acting chairman, Giadom declared himself as
national chairman and also reversed the disqualification of Godwin Obaseki,
governor of Edo, from the gubernatorial primary election.
But the national working committee
of the APC overruled him and appointed Hilliard Eta, vice chairman of the party
(south-south), to stand in for Ajimobi who was “unavoidably absent”.
A high court of the federal
capital territory (FCT) reaffirmed Giadom as the acting national chairman of
the APC but another high court in Rivers state restrained him from parading
himself as such.
As part of measures to resolve the
crisis, President Muhammadu Buhari has held meetings with some governors and
Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
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