The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 17 political parties submitted the list and particulars of their nominated candidates for Ondo State governorship election at the deadline for submission.
The commission disclosed this in a statement by Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, after the commission’s meeting held on Tuesday in Abuja.
INEC on February 6 published the timetable and schedule of activities for the state governorship election as well fixed July 28 as the deadline for submission of nominations for the election, through dedicated portal designed by the commission.
“The commission gave political parties interested in sponsoring and nominating candidates between July 2 and July 25 to conduct party primaries and till 6 p.m of July 28 for the submission of the list and particulars of nominated candidates.
“Seventeen out of the 18 registered political parties gave the commission the requisite statutory notice of their intention to conduct primaries and they conducted primaries for the purposes of nominating candidates for the governorship election.
“The commission opened its dedicated nomination portal on July 21 and some of the political parties that conducted their primaries before the July 25 deadline seized the opportunity and uploaded the list and particulars of their nominated candidates ahead of the cut off time of 6p.m on July 28.
“As at 4.08 pm on Tuesday, all the 17 political parties had submitted the list and particulars of their nominated candidates using the INEC dedicated portal”.
Okoye said that the list and personal particulars of the candidates as submitted by the 17 political parties would be uploaded on INEC website “and published in our state office in Akure, Ondo State on July 31.
“This is in compliance with section 31(3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). The list will also be published on the Commission’s social media platforms on the same day.”
He urged the public to take an active part in the vetting of the list and particulars of nominated candidates to enhance transparency in the party nomination processes
“By section 31 (5) & (6) of the Electoral Act, a person who has reasonable grounds to believe that any information given in the affidavit or any of the documents submitted by any of the candidates is false, may file a suit in Court seeking a declaration that such information is false.
“If the court determines that the information is false, the Court shall issue an Order disqualifying the candidate from contesting the election,” he said.
Okoye noted that the commission at the meeting also deliberated on a number of issues including the Nasarawa Central State Constituency Election scheduled for August 8.
He said that the commission also deliberated on its preparations for the Edo governorship election holding on September 19, and the conduct of party primaries for the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for October 10.
