The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that no fewer than 19 political parties have notified the commission about the conduct of their primaries for the governorship election in the state.
The commission has earlier fixed April for the parties’ primaries to be conducted while fixing November 16, 2024 for the governorship election.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, disclosed this during a meeting with the representatives of political parties at the commission’s office in Akure on Thursday.
According to her, the political parties that have notified the commission include the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, the Accord Party, the Action Alliance, the African Action Congress, the African Democratic Congress, the African Democratic Party, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Others are the Allied Peoples Movement, the Action Peoples Party, the Boot Party, the Labour Party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, the National Rescue Movement, the Peoples Redemption Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Youth Party, the Young Progressives Party and the Zenith Labour Party,
The REC said, “The commission received notification from the political parties for the conduct of primaries for the governorship election exercise billed to commence from April 6 to 27.
“The meeting is an opportunity to engage with the political parties on the upcoming party primaries which represented a critical juncture in the democratic journey in the state.”
She said the role of political parties in ensuring the success and integrity of the process cannot be overemphasized.
Babalola urged all parties to adhere strictly to their guidelines, rules, and regulations outlined in their constitutions as well as all electoral laws in the conduct of their primaries next month.
The REC also urged the parties to entrench the principle of internal democracy in the conduct of their primaries to reduce tension, division, and pre-election cases that may arise after the conduct of the primaries, charging them to ensure that their primaries are conducted in a peaceful, orderly, and transparent manner to ensure the credibility of the outcomes.
