Gbenga Hashim Queries INEC Over Abridgement of Sections 29 of the Electoral Act 

–         Says abridgment has put political parties under pressure 

Chuks Okocha in Abuja 

A presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has queried the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to abridge Sections 29 of the Electoral Act recently signed into by President Bola Tinubu.

Hashim said that it was wrong for INEC to abridge section 29 sub 1 of the 2026 without the approval of the National Assembly.

According to section 29 (1) of the amended Electoral act, it said, ”Every political party shall, not later than 120 days before the date appointed for a general election under this Act, submit to the Commission, in the prescribed Forms, the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections, who shall have emerged from valid primaries conducted by the political party.

Gbenga Hashim said by the dictates of the amended Electoral act political parties ought to have commenced their primary election to choose their respective flag bearers about September 16, which will fall in line with section 29 directives that prescribed 120 120 days to the substantive general election.

He said, “By this action of INEC Abridging Section 29 sub 1, it has put pressure on all the political parties to meet the new deadline from INEC.

” By this contrived abridging of section 29 (1), all political parties now have between April and May to submit the names of their various flag bearers.

”This order of abridgement of the act as contained in section 29 (1) is affecting some political parties, particularly the PDP because it is affecting the peace processes with the PDP “, he stated.

According to Gbenga Hashim, “this is a contrived plot between INEC and the All Progressives Congress, APC to force a one-party system on Nigerians by putting pressures on political parties. Some political parties may not meet up with this abridgment of the section 29 (1) of the electoral act by INEC:

“The time table released by INEC for the election is patently illegal and it will be challenged. INEC has no right to do what it has done. The commission is expected to work within the law and not outside the law.”‘

“The implications is that what that it what could have been done as from September 16 has been brought back to April; and May and this is the cause of all these pressures on the political parties in trying to meet the contrived deadline.

”I challenge INEC to deny it and explain why the current electoral act is being kept secret or hoarded”, Hassim said.