–Says doing so will be disruptive to commission’s timetable
THE Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in charge of Akwa Ibom State, Barrister Mike Igini has said that shifting of dates and venues of electoral activities after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has published timetable was disruptive to the electoral process.
The Akwa REC said though the request by the political parties affect the commission’s internal workings, the parties are free to do so, adding that INEC has been accommodating all the shifts to the extent that its staff now work in the field during weekends.
Fielding questions from journalists on why INEC refused the request of political parties for changes in the electoral timetable and schedule of activities, Igini, who has been at the forefront in driving reforms in the electoral process noted that political parties have been bombarding the commission on daily basis with letters requesting for change in dates to alter the timetable.
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He said, “That statement is not wholly true and correct because within the broad outline of the timetable issued, political parties have been making changes and sending letters almost everyday shifting dates, venues and time.
“As disruptive as these changes to our internal workings, they are free to do so and these shifts have all been accommodated by the commission to the extent that our staff now work and in the field during weekends.
“They are at liberty to make these changes having been at huge cost to the Commission that deployed staff to various states from Abuja and within states. By the time they arrive, they get messages of postponement even sometimes on the way to venues.
“All these we have endured and accommodated within the framework of the electoral timetable published.”
Reminded that the commission turned down the request by the Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC Chairman, Engr. Yabagi Sani at the meeting with political parties, he explained why the request was not granted.
Igini said, “The only request the commission has difficulty in accommodating is in respect of fundamental shift of dates of submission of names of candidates that emerged from primaries and conventions as contained in the fixed and firm timetable and schedule of activities.
“These dates are fixed and firmed as published and repeated severally in all interactions with political parties because they were arrived at based on the provisions of sections 76, 116,132, 178 of the constitution as well as the provision of section 28 of the 2022 Act.
“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 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 submission deadline is 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 venue es and time within the framework of 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 certainty of timeline for the 2023 elections otherwise we will continue to shift and shift the timetable.”