2019: PDP senatorial aspirant urges INEC to end vote buying
The Aso Hall of the International Conference Centre Abuja was a beehive yesterday as staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) played host to officials of political parties who turned in to beat the deadline for the submission of list of their candidates.
The two main political parties: the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as other political parties were given up to 12 midnight yesterday to submit their list of presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2019 general elections.
INEC had in a notice to all the political parties directed them to conduct primaries as required by the Electoral Act 2010 and submit lists ahead of the 2019 elections.
By 6pm yesterday, many officials of political parties or representatives were seen arriving the venue for the exercise.
Daily Trust observed that INEC had grouped the political parties into seven teams with each group comprising thirteen parties. It was observed that some party officials or their representatives got to the venue with their forms to obtain tally numbers in order to beat the deadline.
Some of them were sighted in their vehicles at the car park using torchlight to sort out their forms before submission. While some of them spoken to attributed the delay in submitting their documents to what they termed “the cumbersome process involved in filling the forms,” others stressed the need to extend the deadline for submission.
The Presidential candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Olusegun Mimiko who was given tally number 73 as at 5:30pm urged INEC to be transparent in the 2019 elections, saying credible elections were the hallmark of democracy.
The Presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Dr. Yunusa Tanko commended INEC for the arrangements put in place for submission of forms.
On his part, the National Chairman of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Bishop Amakiri who was still waiting for his turn to submit his party’s form, said the delay was to ensure that everything was properly done to avoid mistakes associated with last minute rust.
The National Publicity Secretary of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alfa Mohammed was also seen waiting for his turn to submit his party’s forms with tally number 78.
By press time, the actual number of parties that had submitted their forms could not be ascertained.
