By Dirisu Yakubu

The shift in the electoral timetable as recently announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is an initiative of political parties, and not the commission, national chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu.

This is even as the Nwanyanwu noted that the shift in the timetable is not in anyway an advantage for the the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, adding that all political parties in the land including the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were part of the decision.

Recall that INEC shifted the deadline for party to hold primaries from June 3 to June 9, having earlier insisted it would stick with the original date.

However Nwanyanwu while addressing newsmen in Abuja, Monday, added that the shift would afford  parties ample time to adjust their programmes ahead of the new deadline.

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He said it is not true that INEC attempted to manipulate the electoral process by deciding to alter its timetable, noting that the PDP which went ahead with its primaries chose 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, maintained that  he noticed that the window between June 4 and June 10 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,” he said.

Vanguard News Nigeria