Seventeen political parties have indicated interest in participating in the Ondo State governorship election slated for October 10, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.

INEC said only the Boot Party, of the 18 registered parties, has not notified it of its intention to conduct primaries.

A statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, reads: “The Boot Party did not give any notification of its intention to conduct primaries for the Ondo State governorship election.

“Section 85 (1) of the Electoral Act makes it mandatory for registered political parties to give the commission at least 21 days notice of any congress or meeting convened to nominate candidates for any elective offices specified in the Act. Details of the parties and their calendar of congresses/primaries (including dates and modes of primaries) have been published on the commission’s website and social media platforms.

“Parties are required to submit a comprehensive list of all the delegates eligible to participate in the primaries at least seven days before the scheduled date.

“The INEC portal for uploading nomination forms will open on July 21 and close at 6pm on July 28. Parties must also observe all the health protocols and guidelines stipulated by the commission, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the state. They must also enforce the ‘no mask, no voting’ policy in their primaries.