The Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) has formally issued notice for the conduct of the state’s local government elections, just 15 days before the September 26 polling date, leaving political parties with a sharply compressed timeline to organise their primaries and prepare candidates for the election.
The late issuance of the notice has raised questions about how the participating political parties are expected to conduct credible primaries and mobilise their candidates within the short period remaining before the polls.
Under the timetable announced by ISIEC Chairman, Charles Ejiogu, parties are expected to move quickly to complete the processes required to field candidates across the 27 local government areas and 305 electoral wards in the state.
The development is particularly significant because several parties are yet to conclude their nomination processes, while candidates and party structures would ordinarily require sufficient time for campaigns, consultations and other preparations ahead of an election of this scale.
With September 26 now fixed as the election date, attention is expected to shift to how the parties will navigate the compressed timetable and whether the short notice will affect the transparency, competitiveness and preparedness of the exercise.
There are also indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could seek to benefit from the arrangement, with speculation that the party may favour the retention of some serving local government chairmen and councillors rather than subjecting them to a lengthy fresh selection process.
ISIEC’s decision has therefore placed both the electoral commission and the political parties under pressure, with only 15 days left for the parties to complete their internal processes and for the commission to conduct the final stages of preparations for the polls.
