The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political parties against making sudden changes to the dates, venues, or modes of their primaries for the Anambra governorship election.

The commission issued this warning in a statement by Sam Olumekun, national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee, in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Olumekun urged political parties participating in the election to strictly follow their proposed schedules without unexpected alterations.

He stated that INEC, during its regular weekly meeting on Thursday, reviewed its preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Anambra, scheduled for November 8.

Mr Olumekun recalled that, in accordance with section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC published the notice of election on November 13 2024, over 360 days before polling day.

According to the election timetable, the primaries for political parties’ selection of candidates are set to begin on March 20 and end on April 10.

Mr Olumekun revealed that 12 of the 19 registered political parties had submitted their primary schedules in compliance with section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.

He reminded the seven remaining parties to submit the required details without further delay.

“Furthermore, we urge political parties to adhere strictly to their proposed schedules.

“Sudden changes to the dates, venues, and modes of primaries cause unnecessary demobilisation and remobilisation of our monitoring staff, disrupting the commission’s workflow,” he stated.

He added that such disruptions also increase the cost of monitoring primaries and the overall conduct of elections and electoral activities.

(NAN)