Reps urge shift of Presidential, National Assembly primary elections to attend hajj
The House of Representatives yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adjust its timetable for the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly primaries to enable its Muslim members attend the hajj pilgrimage.
The appeal followed a motion sponsored by Abdullahi Balarabe Salame from Sokoto State.
Salame in the motion said the primaries would be two days before Arafat, which will begin in the evening of Monday, August 20, 2018 and end in the evening of Tuesday, August 21, 2018 subject to a little variation of dates.
He expressed concern that the timing would affect many of those participating in the pilgrimage.
The lawmaker, who, however, noted that according to the INEC timetable, the presidential and National Assembly primaries would begin on August 18, 2018, said: “The observance of Arafat day is one of the major cardinals of hajj pilgrimage, the non-performance of which will make the pilgrimage an incomplete exercise.
“The time scheduled by INEC for the conduct of such primaries will create a lot of inconvenience for Nigerian Muslim pilgrims participating in the primaries.”
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