A former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has asserted that it is an overreach by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to dictate to the political parties when they should nominate candidates.
Bellnews reports that Hashim, while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Friday about the revised 2027 election timetable released by INEC, said that for the country to have acceptable, free and fair elections in 2027, the electoral umpire would have to be reconstituted.
While calling on the INEC chairman, Joel Amupitan, to either resign or face mass action, Hashim said primaries were the affairs of political parties and could be conducted at any time within the stipulated period.
He said, “It is an over-reach on the part of INEC to dictate when political parties should conduct primaries. What political parties should do is to nominate, in accordance with the electoral act, when nominations should be received. So, the INEC is not a headmaster that can impose what it wants on political parties.
“Insofar as political parties comply with the electoral act regarding their nominations, a political party can decide to have its presidential primary, even one week to the required time allowed by the electoral act or even two days. INEC cannot legislate on issues that are internal affairs of political parties. This is a settled law.
“The parties can decide to have their primaries in July or August, insofar as they comply with the requirement so the electoral act on the number of days stipulated for them to nominate their candidates. Taking primaries from July to April is to destabilise the opposition parties.”