Parties in last minute rush to beat INEC deadline for submission of names

Political parties on Thursday resorted to last minute rush to
beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC)
deadline for the submission of list of candidates for 2019 general
elections.

INEC had scheduled the submission of candidates’ names for the
Presidential and National Assembly between Oct. 10 and Oct. 18, and
deadline for the Governorship and State Assemblies election on Nov.
2.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who were at the
venue of the exercise, International Conference Center (ICC) Abuja,
reported that many party leaders anf representatives were just
arriving at the venue at about
6:00 p.m.

Some of the party leaders and candidates who spoke with NAN,
attributed the delay in submission to the cumbersome process
involved in the filling of the forms and large size of the
country.

To fast track the submission process, INEC grouped the political
parties into seven teams, comprising 13 parties in each group.

Some of the parties’ representatives came into the venue with
some of their forms to obtain tally, while still sorting other
forms elsewhere, to beat the deadline.

Some were seen using torch lights at car park to sort their
forms before submission.

While the deadline is fixed for Thursday, last political party
to obtain INEC tally before 12 midnight would be allowed to submit
its forms.

The Presidential candidate and National Chairman of the National
Conscience Party ( NCP), Dr Yunusa Tanko, commended INEC for the
arrangement for collection.

Tanko, who was still waiting to submit with tally number 37,
said that in the past, people needed to hang around INEC office for
submission.

He said with the large space now provided, all they needed to do
was to get a tally and sit in a hall till when the tally number
would be called.

He said that the delay in submission was not the fault of INEC
or that of the political parties, as they needed to get oath of
office from the court for each form.

He said there was need to increase the number of days for
submission since the number of political parties had increased to
91.

Eunice Atuejide, National Chairman, National Interest Party,
also commended the process, saying INEC was not responsible for the
rush.

Olusegun Mimiko, the Presidential Candidate of the Zenith Labour
Party, who was at the venue with the party’s National Chairman, Dan
Nwanyanwu, said that the party got tally 73 as at 5.30 p.m.

Mimiko said that the party was still within the time and urged
INEC to be transparent in the 2019 general elections.

He said credible elections werethe hallmark of democracy.

Mimiko said he left Labour Party where he first obtained his
Presidential nomination form because of legal battle in the
party.

The National Chairman of the Advanced People’s Democratic
Alliance, Mohammed Shittu, attributed the delay in submission to
large size of country.

He added that the party also had to settle disputes that arose
after the primaries before submission of names.

The National Chairman of the Young Progressives Party, Bishop
Amakiri, who was still waiting to be called for submission of his
party’s forms, said the delay was to make sure that everything was
properly done to avoid unnecessary mistakes associated with
rush.

He expressed the view that the time lag for submission should be
extend by a month because of the number of registered political
parties.

Amakiri said what was witnessed at the submission centre was a
confirmation that INEC had expanded the scope.

He advised politicians to sustain the spirit of sportsmanship
witnessed at the venue of submission before, during and after the
2019 general elections.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party
(SDP), Alfa Mohammed, said that the party was still waiting for
submission with tally number 78.

Mohammed said that the delay was also due to the distance
between the party’s headquarters and its state and local government
offices across the country, while some of the conflict from
primaries took time to be resolved.

The submission process was going on smoothly as at 8:00 p.m.
with the premises still crowded with parties
representatives.(NAN)