INEC Timetable And Political Parties

The release of the 2019 general elections timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), recently has ostensibly set the political tone for the 2019 general elections in Nigeria.
The timetable presupposes that in no time, political activities would peak, gather steam, before reaching a crescendo. It is surely an invitation to political gladiators from the various political parties to get ready to ignite the political horizon with funfare and ratmatazz.
According to the timetable, the collection of nomination forms by political parties for national and state elections begins from August 11 to August 24, 2018, while that of the FCT Area Council elections is scheduled between November 3 and 10, 2018.
Electioneering campaigns by political parties for Presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on November 18, while that of governorship and State Assembly elections are scheduled for December 1, 2018, among others.
INEC further fixed December 3 as the last day for the submission of nomination forms by political parties for Presidential and National Assembly elections and December 17 for governorship and State Assembly elections, while December 14 is for the FCT Area Council elections. February 14, 2019 was fixed as the last day for Presidential and National Assembly elections campaigns and February 28, 2019 for governorship, State Assembly and FCT Area Council elections campaigns.
By this arrangement, governorship candidates of the various political parties are expected to emerge in October this year, while the political parties must present their presidential candidates on December 3, 2018.
The Tide recalls that INEC had, on March 9, 2017, announced February 16, 2019 as the date for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and March 2, 2019 for the governorship and State Assembly elections.
With this development, the coast is now clear for the conduct of the 2019 general elections in the country.
Apparently defending the commission’s decision to release the timetable for the elections, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said, “the 2015 general election was a watershed in the history of our democracy. The commission is determined to build on this legacy by ensuring that our elections keep getting better. The decision of the commission to fix election dates is to engender certainty in the nation’s electoral calendar and to enable all stakeholders to prepare adequately for elections, as is the case in many mature and developing countries”.
We agree no less with the INEC boss. Indeed, with the early release of the election timetable, the commission has not only set a good example for all political parties and other critical stakeholders in the nation’s electoral process to emulate, but has also provided an ample opportunity for them to commence preparations on time and do things differently from what obtained in the past.
The Tide notes that the release of the timetable in the beginning of the year is quite apt, timely and commendable. It provides political parties a golden opportunity to begin, without delay, to mobilise both human and material resources for the 2019 elections. Indeed, with INEC setting the pace, there is no room for excuses and complacency on the part of politicians and their parties. We, therefore, expect all stakeholders to cash in on this and adequately prepare ahead for the elections.
It behooves the parties to conduct their primaries and submit the names of their candidates for the various elective positions well ahead of time, devoid of unnecessary bickerings, acrimony and disputations.
We also expect political parties to tidy up all pre-election matters before the polls. We say this cognizance of the fact that instances abound in the past where such matters had been stretched far beyond election periods.
We are not unmindful of the fact that the late release of election timelines by the electoral umpire in the past had not only contributed to shoddy preparations by political parties but had also affected their political fortunes at the polls. In most cases, some of the political parties resorted to cutting corners by way of rigging and indulging in other electoral malpractices.
Like in other ventures, proper planning and preparations are necessary in the game of politics. Certainly, political parties that fail to plan, plan to fail.
However, we believe that in taking this step, INEC has put all necessary machineries in place to conduct smooth, free and fair elections come 2019. Indeed, the electoral body has no excuse not to deliver on its core mandate.
Nigerians expect the country to consolidate on the gains of the 2015 general elections by conducting much better elections in 2019.