All political parties that may encounter problems in uploading their nominated candidates can now heave a sigh of relief as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has set up a nomination center to receive and process all nominations by political parties, as well as dedicated telephone lines to serve as help desk for any party that may need assistance.
The Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahood Yakuku, who disclosed this at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, in Abuja, said four officials recommended by each of the eighteen political parties were trained on the procedure for uploading the nomination forms to dedicated web portal, adding that Confidential Access Codes to the portal have also been given to each of the political parties to facilitate uploading of their nominations.
He noted that as all party primaries ended on Thursday ninth June, political parties are required to submit their list of candidates for national elections within the next one week beginning from tenth June to Friday seventeenth June.
He further explained that the upload of list of candidates for State elections remains as already released by the Commission in the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections.
Professor Yakubu noted that all political parties are required to upload details of their candidates for each constituency to the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, hence the training of party officials on the procedures for uploading the nomination forms to the portal for easy access.
He emphasised the need for political parties to be mindful of the fact that only names of candidates that emerged from party primaries as provided by Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 shall be submitted to the Commission, adding that the list of all Presidential and Governorship candidates must be accompanied by the names of their running mates without which the nomination is invalid.
The INEC Chairman stated that through innovations, the Commission has eliminated physical interface between party officials and INEC staff for the purpose of submitting the list of candidates for the 2023 general elections.
In an Interview with the ABS, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra State, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, who stated that some of its centres were closed by the Commission owing to insecurity, however noted that INEC in Anambra is currently witnessing a surge of people at its registration centres, hence it has opened new ones.
He urged all those who are revalidating their registration, transferring their voting centres, modifying or changing information on their PVCs to do so with phones in the comfort of their homes to reduce the queues at INEC registration centres.
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