The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially disavowed the national convention of the Labour Party held in Anambra on Wednesday.
Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, made this declaration in Abuja on Thursday.
Oyekanmi stated that INEC did not monitor the conduct of the convention and declined to elaborate on the reasons behind this decision.
The Labour Party (LP) had initially planned to hold the convention in Umuahia, Abia State, but later relocated it to Nnewi, Anambra State.
Addressing the change in venue, the LP National Legal Adviser, Mr. Kehinde Edun, informed journalists that the party duly notified INEC about the shift in location 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 the time,” Edun clarified.
According to Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, political parties are required to provide INEC with at least 21 days’ notice of their conventions, congresses, conferences, or meetings. This includes conventions or meetings convened for purposes such as “merger,” electing members of executive committees and other governing bodies, or nominating candidates.
