By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has organised a two-day refresher training for political parties on the use of its Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP).

In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, said the aim was to enhance the capacity of political parties and minimize procedural errors in candidate nominations

The workshop aims to consolidate achievements from previous election cycles and ensure a more efficient, transparent, and technologically seamless nomination process in the forthcoming by-elections and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.

Eta-Messi quoted Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, National Commissioner and Chairperson of the Legal Services, Clearance and Complaints Committee (LSC&CC), as emphasising the importance of accurate and timely nominations in the electoral process.

?Nomination of candidates is not only a statutory obligation as provided in Section 29 of the Electoral Act, 2022, but it is the very foundation upon which elections are conducted.

?An error in the submission of personal particulars of candidates by political parties can be potentially detrimental to both the party and its candidate,? Agbamuche-Mbu stated.

Agbamuche-Mbu acknowledged that in spite progress with the ICNP in reducing paperwork and improving compliance, political parties still face challenges with candidate nomination.

According to her, the challenges include incomplete form submissions, improper document attachments, and frequent turnover of personnel managing the nomination process.

?This refresher training is designed to bridge those gaps and ensure that both returning and newly appointed party officials have the knowledge and skills necessary for a smooth nomination process,? she added.

Agbamuche-Mbu urged party officials to maximize the training, noting that ?our collective preparedness is a determinant of the overall success of the electoral process.?

Samuel Omale, Assistant Director in the Legal Drafting and Clearance Department, outlined the purpose and strategic focus of the refresher training.

Omale said that the workshop was designed not just as a routine exercise, but as a timely intervention to deepen the capacity of political party officials ahead of upcoming FCT and bye-elections.

?The objective is to refresh political parties on the approved Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates as outlined in the Electoral Act, 2022, while equipping them with practical knowledge of the nomination process,? he said.

Omale added that the training sought to enhance parties? familiarity with the commission?s internal procedures, particularly through live demonstrations on how to make timely and correct submissions via the ICNP.

Omale expressed optimism that the training would bring better understanding of the portal, improved accuracy in submissions, and the establishment of a more collaborative framework between INEC and political parties as key deliverables.

?Ultimately, this is about ensuring that we reduce errors and build confidence in the nomination process going forward,? he said. (NAN)

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