* Says outcome will be declared invalid
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political parties of the dangers of conducting “acrimonious primaries that could result in unnecessary litigations and capable of leading to failure to nominate and field candidates for elections in some constituencies”.
It stated: “The commission will not monitor such primaries and their outcome will not be accepted,” stating that “failure of a political party to notify the commission of any convention or congress convened for the purpose of nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified in the Act shall render the convention or congress invalid.”
INEC, in a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, urged the parties to adhere strictly to the principles of internal democracy, drawing from their constitutions, guidelines, the Electoral Act and other regulations and guidelines issued by the commission.
According to INEC, “candidates for the 1,491 constituencies for which elections will be conducted in 2023 must emerge from democratic, transparent and valid primaries, in line with the provisions of Sections 29 and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022.”
The commission reminded political parties that “primaries must be conducted in the various constituencies as provided in Section 84 of the Electoral Act, pointing out that it is a violation of the law to conduct primaries outside the constituencies for which parties are nominating candidates.”
The statement further said: “Where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of the Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue.
“As required by law, the Commission shall monitor the primaries of each political party that provides the required legal notice in line with Sections 82 (1) and (5) of the Electoral Act. Failure of a political party to notify the commission of any convention or congress convened for the purpose of nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified in the Act shall render the convention or congress invalid.
“Primaries must be conducted in the various constituencies as provided in Section 84 of the Electoral Act as it is a violation of the law to conduct primaries outside the constituencies for which parties are nominating candidates.
“Political parties are enjoined to avoid acrimonious primaries that could result in unnecessary litigations that may lead to failure to nominate and field candidates for elections in some constituencies.”