The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a directive to all political parties ahead of primary elections.
The nation’s electoral body declared that all parties that will participate in the 2023 general election must submit copies of their membership register to the Commission, 30 days before their primary elections.
It has been reported that the directive was issued by the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.
Yakubu who spoke at the second regular quarterly meeting of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja on Thursday, said the directive complied with the new Electoral Act 2022.
The INEC boss explained that the new Electoral Act made it mandatory for political parties to submit their registered members to the Commission 30 days before their primaries.
He said: “Let me also seize this opportunity to remind political parties that by the provision of Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2022; each party is required to maintain a membership register in hard and soft copy and to make such register available to the Commission not later than 30 days before the date fixed for primaries, congresses and conventions.”
According to him, only one political party has complied with the directive.
Yakubu stressed that it is a mandatory requirement of the law and all parties are required to comply.
“Doing otherwise is like going into an election without the register of voters.
There can be no credible primary or general election without a credible register of voters,” Yakubu noted.
