The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distanced itself from the Labour Party National Convention held on Wednesday in Anambra State.
Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, made this statement during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
Oyekanmi clarified that INEC did not oversee the proceedings of the convention and refrained from elaborating further on the reasons behind this decision.
The Labour Party had initially scheduled the convention to take place in Umuahia, Abia State, but later relocated it to Nnewi, Anambra State.
Regarding the change in venue, Kehinde Edun, the National Legal Adviser of the Labour Party, informed journalists that the party had duly notified INEC about the alteration in both the venue and date.
“No, it is holding in Anambra. Nnewi, to be precise, not Umuahia in Abia State again. In fact, Umuahia was not even the first venue we chose. Benin City was the first choice before we changed to Umuahia and now Nnewi.
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“So, we are at liberty to pick any venue of our choice. We only need to inform INEC about the change in venue and the time,” Mr Edun said.
Section 82(1) of the 2022 Electoral Act mandates political parties to provide INEC with a minimum of 21 days’ notice prior to holding any convention, congress, conference, or meeting.
This requirement encompasses gatherings convened for activities such as “mergers,” the election of executive committee members, other governing bodies, or the nomination of candidates.
(NAN)
