INEC Lists Corps Members To Conduct Direct Primaries

INEC has listed corps members to conduct direct primaries across the nation.

Gatekeepers News reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will use serving members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to monitor political parties’ direct primaries across the country if President Muhammadu Buhari signs the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, confirmed this in a chat with The Punch correspondents on Sunday.

Okoye noted that it would be premature to speculate since the President had not yet signed the bill.

He also said certain factors would be considered.

He admitted that the staff requirements for primaries would “change if the President assents to the bill.”

Okoye said some political parties might consider conducting primaries at the ward level, while others might use the local governments or senatorial districts as the venue for primaries.

Okoye said, “Some parties may adopt the 8,809 registration areas (wards) of the commission for their primaries.

“Some may use the 774 LGAs for their primaries. Some may cluster their primaries around the senatorial districts.

“Some may use the state capitals and have a differential period when people from a particular local government area can vote.

“These things will be set out in the guidelines that will be designed by the parties and filed with the commission at least 14 days before the conduct of the primaries.

“When the bill is signed into law, the commission will meet and take a position on how to proceed with each strand and segment of the process.

“We may use our staff members for some of the primaries. We may use lecturers of federal tertiary institutions for some.

“We may use staff members of federal agencies and commissions, and we may use corps members. It depends on the tract designed and submitted by the parties.”