By Joy Odor
To gained extensive knowledge on the new remodeled independent National Electroal Commission (INEC) Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP) for the 2023 General Election and to demonstrate practical knowledge on how to make submissions on the portal, the independent National Electroal Commission (INEC) has trained political party officials.
The training which was supported by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (1FES) is to enlighten them on the improved guidelines for nomination of
candidates and the new procedure of the ICNP bearing in mind that political parties will be submitting forms on the portal in respect of candidates they intend to sponsor for the various offices in One Thousand, Four Hundred and Ninety-Nine (1, 499) constituencies in Nigeria.
Delivery her keynote address to flag-off the 4-day ICNP training workshop in Abuja on Wednesday, the INEC National Commissioner Legal Services, Clearance and Complaints Committee (LSC&CC), Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu said the nomination of candidates is a prerequisite for the conduct of elections in Nigeria and with the signing of the Electoral Act, 2022 into law on the 25 February, 2022, every political party now has One Hundred and Eighty (180) days before the date appointed for a general election to submit its list of candidates who emerged from validly conducted primaries that they intend to sponsor for elections.
According to her, the Candidate Nomination Portal is one of the technological innovations introduced by the Commission in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to reduce physical interactions and automate its processes
She informed that the Electoral Act, 2022, has made provision for several technological innovations and has additionally given the Commission a general discretion to apply technology as it
sees fit.
“Prior to the 2019 General Election, you will recall that the nomination process was manual and fraught with a plethora
of challenges, which necessitated the launch of the ICNP. The ICNP has been in use since the 2020 Edo and Ondo State Governorship elections. The portal was though recently redesigned to accommodate the greater demands of a wider, general election nomination process.
“This training is of utmost importance to political parties as it will enlighten them on the guidelines for nomination of
candidates and the new procedure of the ICNP bearing in mind that political parties will be submitting forms on the portal in respect of candidates they intend to sponsor for the various offices in One Thousand, Four Hundred and Ninety-Nine (1, 499) constituencies in Nigeria.
“At this juncture I would like to thank the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (1FES), a very dependable partner to the Commission, for its support in the organization of this timely and very important training” she said.
Speaking on the objectives of the ICNP, the INEC Director, Legal Drafting and Clearance, Mrs. oluwatoyin Babalola said for an organisation that has its mission, the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections, and has the viston of being “one of the best Hlection Management Bodies (EMBs) in the world that meets the aspirations of the Nigerian people, it is imperative that INEC must consciously, deliberately, and vigorously pursue measures that make the election process seamless.
According to her, a scamless process for the submission of names of nominated candidates by political parties is not negotiable if the electoral process will be scen as fait, credible and inclusive.
Mrs. oluwatoyin added that the provision of Section 29 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the gencral elections, the names of all candidates nominated by political parties shall be submitted to the Commission via the ICNP on the date stipulated in the timetable.
She narrated that the procedure for submission of nomination forms by political parties has in recent times gone through several modifications due to the recent technological innovative developments in the clectoral process by the Commission and also, the recent enactment of the Electoral Act, 2022.
“In order to meet the demands of the forthcoming 2023 General Election, as well as subsequent elections, the Commission approved the redesign of the INC Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP) which will indisputably improve the nomination process fot elections. Consequently, the Commission approved the Guidelines for Nomination of Candidates with detailed procedure for the submission of candidates that Political Parties intend to sponsor for elections. ‘To this extent, the need to intimate political parties on the procedure for submission of candidates, who emerge from validly, has become apparent.
‘This training is therefore a very appropriate pre-election activity, geared towards enlightening political parties, being at the helm of affairs with regards to the nomination process, on what is required for a valid nomination / submission of details of candidates that Political Patties intend to sponsor for elections, bearing in mind that a successful nomination process is the bedrock for participation in elections” she said.
Also speaking, the Director, ICT, Engr. Chidi Nwafor, recognised the important role of the participants, who he said, were responsible for uploading the Nominations of Candidates in the off season elections since the introduction of the portal in 2020.
The ICT Director explained that the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP) to be used for the 2023 general election would be 90 percent automated, a movement from the semi automated process previously used.
Engr. Chidi added that the Commission in its determination to continue to improve the use of technology in the management of elections, has decided to use indigenous content and capacity sourced within Nigeria.
He implored the participants, who are mostly IT professionals from the political parties, to continue to work with the Commission to improve the system, and expressed the hope that a lot would be achieved as they were going to be engaged in practical hands-on training for the next 3 days.
In a goodwill message, the Country Director of IFES, Seray Jah, represented by the Deputy Country Director, Obaje Ukeh, commended INEC for putting together the training with IFES’s support, believing it will better equip the political parties representatives with the knowledge and skills to effectively and efficiently utilize the candidate nomination portal.
