By John Ikani
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will withhold timetable for the 2023 general election pending when the Electoral Act amendment bill is passed into law.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this in Abuja, on Tuesday, at the first quarterly meeting with political parties for the 2022.
According to him, the commission was looking forward to a speedy passage of the bill, which will determine its preparation for the 2023 General Elections.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had rejected the bill following the inclusion of compulsory direct primaries for political parties.
Returning the bill to the National Assembly, the President pointed out that the present state of the country would not be fit for compulsory direct primary elections, demanding its removal from the bill.
The INEC boss, however, noted that the Commission would release the 2023 election timetable once the bill is signed into law, adding that all critical preparations for the poll, which is just 396 days away, must be concluded this year.
He said all the critical preparations must be concluded this year, explaining that the Continuous Voter Registration CVR which commenced in June last year has entered the third quarter.
What the INEC boss is saying
He said, “On the Electoral Amendment Bill currently before the National Assembly, the commission is encouraged by the Senate President’s assurance to give priority attention to the Bill when the National Assembly reconvenes from its recess today, and the commitment by the President to assent to the Bill as soon as the issue of mode of primaries by political parties is resolved.
“We are looking forward to a speedy passage of the Bill, which is crucial to our preparations for the forthcoming elections. As soon as it is signed into law, the commission will quickly release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election which will be based on the new law”.
“We are therefore, using this occasion to once again make our strident call for the immediate resolution of the unnecessary impasse over the Electoral Amendment Bill in the superior and overriding national interest. The Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) has persistently suggested at various forums that, the first rational step in the circumstance, is for the two apex legislative houses to immediately expunge from the Bill, the provisions that make it mandatory for political parties to use Direct Primary elections in the selection of their flag bearers in general elections.
“Going forward, we have also called on the President to thereafter, assent to the Bill without delay. Our concern in the IPAC, is that failure to reach a compromise in the short run may invariably translate into the death of the other very crucial provisions, such as the provisions on the Electronic Transmission of election results”, he stated.
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