National chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, Monday said the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to shift the electoral timetable was an initiative of the political parties and not the commission as speculated in some quarters.
INEC shifted the deadline for party to hold primaries from June 3 to June 9, after it insisted that it would not adjust it.
In a statement released to Blueprint Monday in Abuja, ZLP national chairman also added that it was not done to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) adding that all the political parties including the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which concluded it’s presidential primaries was part of the decision.
But Nwanyanwu, who threw his weight behind the shift of the timetable added that it has afforded parties ample time to adjust their programmes ahead of the new deadline.
He said it is not true that INEC attempted to manipulate the electoral process by deciding to alter it’s timetable, noting that the PDP which went ahead with its primaries elected not to postpone it.
Nwanyanwu who revealed that he was the brain behind the timetable adjustment said after he called the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC) chairman to initiate fresh talks with INEC after he (Nwanyanwu) noticed the window between June 4 and June 10 that could be used by parties to tidy their documents for the election.
“We do not speak for INEC but the attack on INEC that it manipulated the process is not true because we are involved.”
