The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said on Wednesday the commission would not extend the deadline for the conduct of primaries and submission of party nominations for the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.
Yakubu, who stated this at the commission’s second virtual consultative meeting of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja, reminded political parties fielding candidates of the need to conclude their primaries in the next 10 days.
He said: “The deadline is Saturday, June 27, 2020. I must stress that the date is firm and fixed. There will be no extension.
“While the conduct of primaries and nomination of candidates will be the sole responsibility of political parties, our officials will monitor the primaries as required by law.
“Already, INEC has published the date and mode of primaries for each of the 15 political parties that indicated their intention to participate in the election.
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“Similarly, there will be no extension of time for political parties that fail to submit the names and other details of the candidates that emerge from their primaries using the dedicated portal created by the commission.
“For emphasis, the deadline is 6:00 p.m. on Monday, 29 June 2020.”
The INEC chairman advised political parties to adhere to the four mandatory requirements for eligibility of candidates for governorship elections as enshrined in Section 177 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
According to him, a candidate nominated by a political party must be a Nigerian citizen by birth, 35 years, must be a member of, and sponsored by, a political party, and must be educated up to at least the school certificate level or equivalent.
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