The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 17 political parties have fielded candidates for the 21 September Edo governorship election.
INEC stated this in a statement by Sam Olumekun, its national commissioner and chairperson, Information and Voter Education Committee, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mr Olumekun said that the 17 parties had successfully uploaded their candidates’ nomination forms for the election on the INEC portal before the 6 p.m. deadline on 24 March, when the dedicated portal automatically shut down.
He said the commission would publish the personal particulars of the candidates and their running mates on 30 March in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
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“The commission shall publish the personal particulars by displaying copies of Form EC9 along with all academic credentials and other documents submitted by each candidate at the State headquarters and the 18 local government offices across Edo,” he said.
Mr Olumekun appealed to Nigerians to scrutinise the documents when published.
He said that any aspirant who participated in his/her party primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate was false could challenge the nomination.
He added that such could be changed in a Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has asked political parties in Nigeria to shun misinformation and tone down negative rhetoric ahead of the two off-season elections in Edo and Ondo States.
INEC Chairperson Mahmood Yakubu stated this on Wednesday during the public presentation of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee Strategic Plan (2024-2028) in Abuja.
The event was hosted by the Westminister Foundation for Democracy (WFD) under the Nigeria Open Political Party (NOPP) project.
Mr Yakubu, who was represented by Kunle Ajayi, a national commissioner in INEC, said the political parties need to address the challenges of misinformation campaigns.
“Beyond the primaries, we encourage IPAC to implore its members to tone down the negative rhetoric during campaigns and strongly appeal to their media warlords to shun the weaponisation of disinformation and spreading of fake news, as this tends to rile up religious, political and tribal sentiments, hence heating an already anxious and polarised society in the run-up to an election,” he said.
Speaking on inclusion, Mr Yakubu said political parties should deepen the inclusion of youth, women, and persons with disabilities in their activities.
READ ALSO: Edo, Ondo Polls: INEC urges parties to deepen internal democracy, warns against fake news
He urged IPAC members to mainstream the Not Too Young Run Act and the Women in Politics Charter of Demands.
“The Commission would like to draw the attention of the leadership of IPAC to the growing concern of the poor Inclusivity Index across party lines in Nigeria.
“The Commission has consistently advocated for an inclusive electoral process backed by section 54 of the Electoral Act and has implemented targeted interventions in partnership with CSOs and its development partners to bridge this gap. However, the onus is on the Political Parties and IPAC to take the lead in advancing the cause of Electoral Inclusivity in their various parties,” he said.
Mr Yakubu said the unveiling of the 2024-2028 SPA of IPAC is timely ahead of the two governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States because the content would help guide the actions of the political parties.
(NAN)
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