By Olusegun Olanrewaju
An appeal by the 18 political parties urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alter the timetable for the 2023 elections to allow for robust participation has been rejected.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) had yesterday asked the electoral body to review its timetable and schedule of activities to afford member parties enough time to put their houses in order.

Chairman of IPAC, Yabagi Sanni, had during a quarterly meeting with INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, argued that the holidays, among reasons, had disrupted planned activities and programmes of the political parties, leading to the loss of about two weeks out of the allotted time of the timetable.

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He, therefore, on behalf of the 18 political parties, requested two months extension for the conduct of party primaries, stressing that the alteration in dates would not in any way affect the timetable of the 2023 general elections.

The IPAC chairman said at the meeting, “In summary, the General Assembly of IPAC, after an exhaustive examination of the INEC timetable and related issues, arrived at a unanimous decision to request for an extension of thirty-seven (37) days to the deadline of the time frame for the conduct of party primaries and resolution of conflicts arising from the primaries.

“By implication, the IPAC leadership is appealing to the INEC to extend the deadline for the conduct of party primaries and resolution of ensuing conflicts from the present INEC given date of 3rd June 2022 to 4th July 2022.”

In reacting to the request by IPAC, Yakubu told the political parties leaders in attendance not to expect any extension from the commission.

He said any attempt to review the timeline as requested by IPAC will alter the rest of the INEC schedule of activities ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Yakubu said, “I hereby reiterate the position of the Commission that there will be no review of the timelines. There are so many interrelated activities that are associated with the timelines which must be carried out.

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“Any review to extend the timeline for one activity will affect other activities and put unnecessary pressure on political parties and the Commission. This will ultimately result in more complications than what the extension seeks to achieve. Therefore, the Commission will not review the timelines,” Yakubu told leaders of the political parties in attendance.

INEC, in line with the new Electoral Act, fixed the deadline for the conduct of primaries by political parties for June 3

This followed the review of its schedules for the 2023 general elections in February after President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the 2022 Electoral Act.