The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has announced that the details of 17 governorship candidates and their running mates would be made public on March 30, 2024, ahead of the Edo State governorship election on September 21, 2024.
The candidates’ personal information would be made public by posting copies of Form EC9, as well as all academic certificates and other documents submitted by each candidate, at the state headquarters and 18 local government offices throughout Edo State.
Sam Olumekun, INEC‘s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, stated this on Wednesday.
Olumekun stated, “Following the conclusion of party primaries, 17 political parties have uploaded their candidates’ nomination forms for the Edo State Governorship Election by the deadline of 6 p.m. on March 24, 2024, when the dedicated portal will automatically shut down.”
“The personal particulars of the governorship candidates and their running mates will be published on Saturday 30th March 2024, a week from the last date for the submission of nominations as provided in Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“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 State.”
The commission appealed to Nigerians to scrutinise the document (particulars of the candidates) when published.
“We appeal to Nigerians to scrutinise the documents. Any aspirant who participated in his/her party primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination in a Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022,” the National Commissioner said.
The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, had last week expressed the frustration of the electoral body over the rancorous primary elections in various political parties ahead of the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
Yakubu, who spoke in Abuja at the first regular quarterly consultative meeting with political parties, said INEC found the infighting within political parties disruptive of its activities, adding that INEC also wastes funds to defend litigation arising from controversial primaries.