SAN FRANCISCO, June 24, (THEWILL) – Ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), has stated that the spate of pre-election litigations as well as conflicting court orders can disrupt the smooth conduct of primaries and election.
In a statement, INEC’s national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education, Festus Okoye said the commission deliberated on a range of issues concerning the governorship election which is slated for September 19.
The commission said the conduct of party primaries, including resolution of disputes will end on Saturday, June 27, 2020.
The submission of the list of candidates whom the parties propose to sponsor at the election as well as affidavits of the validly nominated candidates will close on Monday, June the 29, 2020.
The electoral umpire reminded political parties that the spate and tenor of pre-election litigations and the conflicting emanating orders can harm the smooth conduct of primaries and the upcoming polls.
INEC however, insists that it will continue to obey all orders and judgements from properly constituted courts in accordance.
“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.
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“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.
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