Politics
Timetable: INEC Talks Tough As 18 Parties Fail To Conduct Primaries
The Independent National Electoral Commission has vowed not to extend the June 3, 2022 deadline for primaries even as The PUNCH observed on Monday that none of the 18 political parties had conducted their presidential primaries three weeks to the deadline.
A document obtained from INEC on Monday showed that the Accord Party scheduled its primaries for June 2 while the Action Alliance fixed its own for June 3.
The African Action Congress is also expected to hold its own on June 3 while the African Democratic Congress and the Action Democratic Party will hold theirs on June 1 and May 30 respectively.
READ ALSO: 2023: INEC Rejects Extension Of Deadline For Party Primaries
The All Progressives Congress will complete its presidential primary on June 1; the All Progressives Grand Alliance will conduct its primary on June 1 while the Allied Peoples Movement will conduct its primary on May 30.
The Action People’s Party slated its primary for May 27, the Boot Party will conduct its own on June 3, Labour Party on June 3 and the New Nigeria People’s Party on June 1 and 2.
The National Rescue Movement fixed its Presidential primary for June 1 and 2, the Peoples Democratic Party will hold its own on May 29, the Peoples Redemption Party will conduct its primary on May 28, and the Young Progressives Party will hold its own on June 1 while Zenith Labour Party will hold its primary on June 1.
The PUNCH learnt that the Social Democratic Party, which had fixed its primary for May 14, failed to do so.
Sources told our correspondent that parties had fixed their presidential primaries for the last minute in order to carry out negotiations and also lobby INEC.
A PDP chieftain said, “What many of these smaller parties usually do is to hold their primaries very late in order to adopt the candidate of one of the big parties. They use this to get funding. Also, because everyone is still lobbying INEC for an extension of time, everyone is trying to push their primaries towards the deadline just in case INEC obliges.”
Meanwhile, the PDP has again postponed its governorship primary, for the third time this month.
The opposition party had first fixed its governorship primary for May 21 and then extended it to May 23. However, in a fresh letter dated May 16 which was addressed to INEC, the party indicated that it would now hold its governorship primaries on May 25.
The party also shifted its House of Assembly primaries from May 7 to May 21 while the House of Representatives primary will take place on May 22. The PDP noted that its senatorial primary will be conducted on May 23 as against the initial May 14.
The letter which was signed by the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, read in part, “In the case of the South-East region, due to the sit-at-home order currently observed on Mondays, the Senate primaries will now hold on May 24, 2022, in the South-East zone.”
Attempts to get a reaction from the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Debo Ologunagba, proved abortive as he did not respond to repeated calls.
Terminal dates for primaries are firm and fixed, no going back – Commission
In a related development, INEC has said that it is too late to tinker with the schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections.
Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, stated this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.
NAN reported that Okoye spoke against the backdrop of the two months extension of the deadline for the conduct of the parties’ primaries recently sought by the Inter-Party Advisory Council.
READ ALSO: 2023: Court Restrains CBN, INEC From Stopping Emefiele From Contesting
According to him, any change in the June 3 deadline will affect other activities for elections.
“The timetable and schedule of activities released by the commission are derived from the constitution, the Electoral Act and the Regulations and Guidelines of the commission.
“The chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made it clear that our timetable and schedule of activities and the terminal date for the conduct of party primaries are firm and fixed.”
Why INEC won’t accept fresh request by parties to change electoral timetable – Igini
Also in a chat with The PUNCH, Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, said that INEC won’t accept fresh requests by political parties to change electoral timetables including June 3, 2022 deadline for parties to submit their candidates for the 2023 general elections.
Igini noted that the 18 political parties have been in the habit of constant requests for an extension of the deadline for the submission of candidates.
READ ALSO: Why Political Parties’ Audited Accounts Haven’t Been Published Since 2016 –INEC
He said, “Within the broad outline of the timetable issued, political parties have been making changes and sending letters almost every day shifting dates, venues and time. As disruptive as these changes to our internal workings, these shifts have all been accommodated by the commission to the extent that our staff now work in the field during weekends.
“These changes have been at a huge cost to the commission that deployed staff members to various states from Abuja and within states.
“If l may observe and ask, why is it that political parties decided to leave out the whole of April that they should have commenced the conduct of primaries? Why is it that some of these parties chose almost the last few days to the end of the month of May for these all-important activities when they know that the submission deadline is the 3rd of June 2022? Haven’t they been hearing and reading the chairman’s consistent refrain of constitutional and statutory timelines are “fixed and firmed” at all stakeholders’ meetings?
“Look, as l have said, changes of venues and time within the framework of the already issued constitutional timetable by the commission, no problems and they have been doing that but a fundamental shift is what the commission has advised against to allow for the certainty of timeline for the 2023 elections otherwise we will continue to shift and shift the timetable.”
PUNCH.
Politics
2027: Drama As Two ‘ADA’ Emerge In INEC’s List Of 110 Party Registration Bids
Two political associations seeking registration as political parties have submitted identical acronyms to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
According to Vanguard, the first is the All Democratic Alliance, ADA, being promoted by Chief Akin Ricketts and said to be one of the special purpose vehicles that the anti-Tinubu coalition is seeking to use as a platform in the 2027 general election.
While the Ricketts ADA is 109 on the INEC list, the other ADA, Advanced Democratic Alliance, is 110, the last one the list unveiled by the electoral umpire.
This second ADA has Alhaji Ahmadu Suleiman as Protem Chairman and Zipporah Pius Miracles as Secretary.
READ ALSO: Atiku, El-Rufai Coalition Seeks INEC Registration For New Party
The Ricketts ADA has its national headquarters at Ground Floor, UAC Complex, Plot 273 Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun Street, CBD, Abuja, FCT.
Suleiman’s ADA has its national headquarters at 1 Frandriance Close, Off Oda Crescent, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, no fewer than 110 political associations have written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, seeking registration as political parties.
Politics
Damagum Is PDP’s Problem – Ex-Benue Gov Suswam
Former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, on Wednesday declared that the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Umar Damagum, is the problem of the party.
Suswam, who insisted that Damagum is not a leader, said the party has been drifting downwards since he assumed the role of acting National Chairman.
Featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the former governor said, “There is no integrity in the leadership of PDP, I’m happy that Wike said it.
READ ALSO::
“I have consistently said that Damagum is not a leader. What has happened here is that after the meeting with INEC, a good leader would have met with the National Working Committee members to brief them before holding any press conference.
“Damagum has been the problem of the PDP since he assumed the acting National Chairman of the party. The party has been drifting downward, I have said this thing consistently.
“First and foremost, he breached the provisions of the constitution which said that he must act for a period and this position must go back to the North Central.”
Politics
Confusion In PDP As NWC Counters Damagum, Rejects Anyanwu’s Reinstatement
The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has dismissed claims that the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Monday, June 30, 2025, has been postponed.
A statement signed by key members of the NWC on Wednesday also denied reports that Samuel Anyanwu has been reinstated as the party’s National Secretary.
The NWC said the statement comes in response to a press briefing earlier in the day by the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.
READ ALSO:Tension Brews In PDP As Top Officials Dismiss Damagum’s Claims On NEC Meeting
DAILY POST reports that Damagum had announced the postponement of the NEC meeting and said Anyanwu is to resume as National Secretary.
Rejecting Damagum’s declarations, the NWC said his pronouncements were contrary to the resolution of the 99th NEC meeting, which scheduled the next NEC session for June 30 and referred all matters concerning the National Secretary’s office to that meeting.
“The pronouncements by the Acting National Chairman have no foundation as no organ of the Party (including the NWC), individual or group has the power to cancel, overrule, veto or vary the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC),” the statement read.
Citing Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), the NWC emphasized that NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the party after the National Convention and that its resolutions are binding on all members and organs of the party.
The NWC described the announcement regarding Anyanwu’s resumption as “misleading” and reaffirmed that the matter remains under the jurisdiction of the forthcoming NEC meeting.
The statement was jointly signed by Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, Acting National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, National Treasurer, Ahmed Yayari Mohammed, National Auditor, Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel, and National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, among others.
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