Political parties ask Inec to adjust its timetable and move presidential primaries on from June 3

NIGERIA'S18 registered political parties including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to shift its June primaries deadline.

Under its strict election timetable, Inec has given all the parties until June 3 to conclude their presidential primaries for next year's elections. However, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (Ipac) has appealed to Inec to tinker its electoral timelines to give them more time to carry out their primaries.

Ipac chairman Engineer Yabagi Sani, said all of Nigeria's registered political parties were unanimous in making the demand. He said Ipac had all along, chosen to remain a reliable partner and a formidable pillar by being consistent in its support and defence of Inec on the series of administrative reforms and introduction of technology to the electoral system.

Engineer Sani said: “It is within the framework of the enduring bond between the Inec and Ipac in service to the country, that all the 18 registered political parties are jointly, without exception, requesting Inec to consider a slight adjustment to the recently announced timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections. In summary, the general assembly of Ipac, after an exhaustive examination of the Inec timetable and related issues, arrived at a unanimous decision to request for an extension of 37 days to the deadline of the time frame for the conduct of party primaries and resolution of conflicts arising from the primaries.

He added that some of the issues considered by the Ipac general assembly which necessitated the call for extension in the timeframe of the present Inec timetable and schedule of activities are based on certain circumstances and developments that have hampered timely and strict compliance by the political parties to the timetable.