Deadlines for nomination and withdrawal of candidates by political parties have been fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of elections.
This came as the INEC insisted that it would not adjust the election timetable for any reason.
INEC, in keeping with its guideline, directed the parties to submit lists of delegates for elective offices to it seven days to the date of the primary.
Going by the directive, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party submitted the names of the designated centres for their national conventions to INEC on Monday.
Checks showed that the APC is billed to hold its convention at the Eagle Square while the PDP chose the Velodrome at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
INEC indicated that it would not bend the rules in order not to distort the 2023 elections timetable.
The last day for withdrawal and replacement of candidate(s) for Presidential and National Assembly has been fixed for July 15 while August 12 is fixed for governorship and Houses of Assembly.
August 8 is the last day for submission of nomination forms for presidential and National Assembly election while the governorship and Houses of Assembly is August 18.
The final list of nominated candidates will be published on September 20 for Presidential and National Assembly elections while October 4 is fixed for others.
Campaign for the presidential and National Assembly elections will kick off on September 28 while the governorship and Houses of Assembly would start from October 4.
An INEC official said that the parties had been notified of the timelines for appropriate guidance, which partly read that “In compliance with Article 4.5.1 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Political Party Primaries, a political party that adopts the indirect primary mode shall make available to the commission not later than seven days to the date of the primary, the list of persons that will form the delegates that are eligible to vote for nomination of the party candidate to contest every elective position.”
“The list of delegates shall be accompanied with the list of aspirants and the list of the party Electoral panel conducting the primary.
“In compliance with Section 84(9-11) of the Electoral Act 2022, a political party that adopts the Consensus Primary mode shall make available to the commission copies of the written consent of all aspirants cleared for the position indicating their endorsement of the consensus candidate who shall then be ratified by a special congress or convention
“In compliance with Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022, primaries and voting by members or delegates of a political party to nominate candidates for elective positions shall hold at designated centres within the respective national, state, senatorial, federal and state constituencies.
“Primaries held outside designated constituencies shall accordingly be invalid.”
