New Telegraph

INEC denies complicity in AAC candidate ahead of Ondo poll

…as deputy gov gets southern leaders’ endorsement for ZLP

 

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied a claim by state the chapter of African Action Congress (AAC) that it has replaced its running mate for the October 10 Ondo governorship election.

 

AAC had in a statement by its Chairman, Alex Adeniyi and Publicity Secretary, Oluwasukanmi Oni, said its candidate for the election had been replaced by INEC. The statement claimed that Prince Adekunle Adeleye was elected as AAC candidate on July 25 at governorship primary held at the International Cultural Centre (DOME) as his name and Mrs. Mopelola Evelyn Ibrahim were sent to INEC as governorship and deputy governorship candidates of the party respectively.

 

It reads: “It is therefore saddening that INEC went on to manufacture an unknown deputy governorship candidate, namely Samuel Tope Omotosho, who is totally unknown to our party, who is not and has never been a member of our party, AAC, either in Ondo State or anywhere in Nigeria.” But INEC said it received only one submission from the AAC through its dedicated online portal for candidate nomination.

 

The commission in a statement by Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, explained that there was no human interface in the submission of candidates by political parties.

 

He added that National chairmen and Secretaries of participating political parties were issued access codes for the electronic submission, withdrawal and substitution of names and particulars of their candidates as elected at party primaries monitored by INEC.

 

Okoye said: “The names uploaded on the portal by the political parties were the same names published.

 

“The commission only receives the names of candidates and running mates from the national headquarters of political parties, duly signed by both the National Chairman and National Secretary.

 

“The political parties shall use the access codes provided by the commission to upload the names and particulars of their candidates based on the prescribed Forms EC9 (formerly EC CF 001) and the appropriate Form EC9 (A) – (G) series (formerly CF 002) as provided on the Commission’s website.”

 

“The completed forms EC9 and EC9 (A)-(G) series, signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the political party, are up- CHANGE OF NAME loaded to the commission’s prescribed portal along with the relevant covering letter addressed to the Chairman of the commission.

 

“The commission does not deal directly with aspirants, candidates or state branches of political parties in matters relating to the nomination, submission and substitution of candidates of political parties as that is the exclusive preserve of the political parties as represented by the National Chairman and National Secretary.

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