New Telegraph

2023: INEC to lift ban on political campaign Sept 28

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will publish the final list of candidates for national election on September 20. About 15 political parties have indicated interest to field candidates for the February 2023 presidential election. These include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), among others.

INEC had on June 25 released provisional list of candidates which met its June 18 deadline for submission of candidates for the election. Also, on September 20, the Commission will decide the fate of the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio. Both are laying claim for the APC ticket for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West. INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, at the meeting on conducting elections in volatile security environments organised in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), said the publication of the final list is in accordance with section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, and the timetable and schedule of activities released by the commission.

“This will be followed on October 4, 2022, by the publication of the final list of candidates for state elections (governorship and state Houses of Assembly),” he said. Yakubu stated that ban on campaign for political parties will officially be lifted on September 28, as provided by section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022. He appealed to all political parties and candidates to focus on issue-based campaigns, adding: “This is the best way to complement our efforts to ensure transparent elections in which only the votes cast by citizens determine the winner.” The INEC boss described the CDD meeting as timely, “because the election is fast approaching” even as he expressed hope that security concerns would be addressed before it begins.

“Most appropriately, I believe that arising from the shared experience of participants at this meeting, specific recommendations will be made to further enrich our understanding of the security issues in the forthcoming election, the various dimensions of the challenges and, most importantly, possible measures to respond to them to ensure that elections peacefully hold nationwide as required by law,” he noted.

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