NDC chieftain, Sam Amadi, has criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission over the timeline for party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections, alleging that the electoral body acted unfairly by compressing the schedule for political parties.…....
Amadi made the remarks during the National Obidient Movement Aspirants Summit held at Chelsea Hotel on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The event was aired by TV Platinum and featured discussions on party organization, candidate selection and preparations for the next election cycle.
Speaking at the summit, the former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission questioned the rationale behind the timeline reportedly set by Independent National Electoral Commission for political parties to conclude their primaries. “INEC is biased,” Amadi stated.
According to him, there was no convincing justification for political parties to be compelled to conclude their primary elections several months before official campaigns are expected to begin. “There’s no basis to compress primaries at this point when campaign will still take a long time to start,” he said.
Amadi further questioned why parties were allegedly being forced to complete their internal electoral processes by May despite the long period remaining before the commencement of campaigns. “So what’s the rationale of forcing parties to finish their primaries by May, even when you have up to that many months to begin campaign?” he asked.
The NDC chieftain argued that extending the timeline for primaries would have given parties more time to properly organize themselves and strengthen their internal structures ahead of the elections. “I think it was, if it was an error, it’s a grievous error,” he stated.
Amadi also expressed support for calls urging the electoral commission to reconsider or extend the deadline for party primaries. “I support that INEC should have extended the period from primaries,” he said.
According to him, a longer timetable would have allowed political parties to become more grounded and adequately prepared before entering the campaign season. “And that would have enabled the parties to be properly grounded,” Amadi added.
Despite his criticism of the process, the political figure urged parties to adapt to the situation and work within the existing timeframe. “But it’s what it is, and I think the parties do well to overcome that challenge of time,” he concluded.
