The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned political parties against making sudden changes to the dates, venues, or modes of their primaries for the Anambra governorship election.
INEC issued the warning in a statement through the National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, in Abuja on Thursday.
Olumekun urged political parties participating in the election to strictly follow their proposed schedules without unexpected alterations, stating that INEC, during its regular weekly meeting, reviewed its preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Anambra, scheduled for November 8.
He recalled that, in accordance with Section 28 of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC published the Notice of Election on 13 November 2024, over 360 days before polling day.
According to the election timetable, the conduct of primaries for selecting candidates by political parties is set to begin on March 20 and end on April 10, 2025.
Olumekun also revealed that 12 out of the 19 registered political parties had submitted their primary schedules in compliance with Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
He also reminded the seven remaining parties to submit the required details without further delay.
9News Nigeria reports that part of his words were; “Furthermore, we urge political parties to adhere strictly to their proposed schedules.
“Sudden changes to the dates, venues, and modes of primaries cause unnecessary demobilisation and remobilisation of our monitoring staff, disrupting the commission’s workflow,” he stated.
