Conflicting Primaries Disruptive, Wasting INEC Resources

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has reiterated his call on political parties to avoid situations that lead to the conduct of parallel primaries and the emergence of multiple candidates.

Yakubu made the call at the first regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja on Tuesday.

The INEC chair said, “Frequent changes as we witnessed recently during the Edo primaries are not only disruptive but costly. The commission cannot mobilise, de-mobilise and re-mobilise our officials for the monitoring of party primaries for the convenience of political parties.

The INEC chairman explained that the situation has led to unnecessary litigations.

The commission met with the political parties to access the success of the last rerun and bye elections as well as the preparation for the off-cycle governorship election in Edo and Ondo.

In the lead up to the Edo State Governorship Election, several political parties have held parallel primaries to nominate their candidate.

For the All Progressives Congress (APC), about four persons laid claim to the party’s candidacy before the party eventually resolved the conflict with a new primary that produced Monday Okpebholo.

Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Asue Ighodalo won the primary but the deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, also claimed he is the party’s candidate.