The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which oversees the process of uploading the details of nominated candidates to a commission-exclusive portal, has announced that it will hold a refresher training session for the liaison officers of political parties after the conclusion of their primaries for the Edo State gubernatorial election.

In a press release dated Friday, March 1, 2024, and signed by Sam Olumekun, mni, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), it was stated that the Commission had given political parties 20 days to upload their candidates’ names and lists of nominations (Form EC9B) and personal details (Form EC9) to the portal.

According to the IVEC Chairman, national chairs of political parties can pick up the access code for the portal, which will be available starting at 9:00 am on Monday, March 4, 2024, and shutting down automatically at 6:00 pm on Sunday, March 24. He clarified that the goal of the two liaison officers per party’s refresher training, which started today, Friday, March 1, 2024, and ends on Monday, March 4, 2024, at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja, was to help political parties make sure that nominations went smoothly.

“The deadline for the conduct of primaries by political parties expired on February 24th, 2024, as provided by the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the upcoming off-cycle Edo State Governorship election,” the statement stated.

He said that in the event that any political party needs assistance during the candidate nomination process, the INEC Media Center, which is currently being used as a refresher training venue, will also function as the Help Desk.

“The Commission wishes to draw the attention of political parties that twenty (20) days are sufficient to upload the nomination forms of only two candidates per party (Governorship candidate and running mate),” Mr. Olumekun stated. He emphasized the importance of strictly adhering to the rules and deadlines provided by the Commission. Consequently, there is no justification for requesting a time extension, and none will be granted past Sunday, March 24, 2024.

To sum up, as mentioned earlier, “Political parties should ensure strict compliance with the timelines.”