The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disassociated itself from the Labour Party (LP) National Convention held in Anambra on Wednesday.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, made this statement during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
Oyekanmi explained that INEC did not monitor the conduct of the convention, but declined to provide further details on why it was not monitored.
However, NAN reported that the Labour Party (LP) had relocated the convention from Umuahia in Abia State to Nnewi, Anambra State, on Tuesday.
Regarding the change in venue, Mr. Kehinde Edun, the LP National Legal Adviser, informed the press that the party had duly notified INEC about the change in both 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 was the first choice before we changed to Umuahia and now Nnewi.
“So, we are at liberty to pick any venue of our choice. We only need to inform INEC about the change in venue and time,” Edun said.
According to Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act of 2022, political parties are required to provide INEC with a minimum of 21 days’ notice prior to convening any convention, congress, conference, or meeting.
This notification obligation extends to conventions or meetings organized for the purposes of “merger,” as well as for the selection of members for executive committees and other governing bodies, or the nomination of candidates.