Senior Political Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Funkekeme Solomon, has called for the scrapping of Section 84 (8) of the Electoral Act, saying the Act is overregulating political parties and denying them the opportunity to be inventive and proactive in an in multi-party democracy.

Speaking on a television programme in Asaba, Solomon chided the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for allegedly pandering to the interests of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He stated: “By suddenly extending the deadline for the conduct of primaries by the parties and the time it chose to announce it, INEC was basically indulging the APC, which had displayed the lack of organisation and focus that have been the hallmark of the party in the past seven years.

“After insisting that it will not alter the election timetable, and after both APC and PDP had conducted primaries up to governorship level, with PDP already gathered to conduct its presidential primary, there is no logic in INEC’s decision to suddenly extend the deadline by one week.

“The fact that APC promptly postponed its presidential primary afterwards shows INEC was not altruistic in its decision and the timing.”

He said if INEC had kept faith with its initial timelines, APC would have been without a presidential candidate, adding: “Going by the rules, APC should be deemed not to have a presidential candidate.

“It smacks of connivance for INEC to unilaterally shift the goal post at a time the parties had almost concluded the primaries to favour a party that is not prepared to play by the rules that had been long established by the electoral umpire. It is a cause for serious concern,” he said.

“But despite having the goal post shifted in its favour, APC has shown that its management of the economy and polity is not an accident; it showed that the party is not organised and has no capacity to make Nigeria prosper.”

On the outcome of the PDP primaries, the former deputy speaker of the state House of Assembly said the process was transparent in Delta, noting: “Everything was done in accordance with the party’s constitution. That is why peace pervaded the exercise and the result was rancour-free.”

Solomon disclosed that PDP had initiated the process of restoring the warm relationship among aspirants, declaring that the governorship candidate and Speaker of the state Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, would lead the party to victory.