2019: Political parties in last-minute rush to meet INEC deadline

Ahead of Thursday, October 18 deadline for submission of forms  CFOO1 and CFOO2 for presidential and national assembly candidates, officials of the political parties besieged the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Thursday to submit the list of nominated candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).

Recall that the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, has insisted that his Commission would not extend the date for submission of the list of candidates.

By virtue of section 31(3) of the Electoral Act as amended, the Commission is expected to publish the list of candidates, 7 days upon receipt from political parties.

Former Ondo state governor and presidential candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, Dr Olusegun Mimiko advised the INEC to be thorough with the process to guarantee the confidence of the leadership of the political parties.

Also speaking with newsmen, national chairman of Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance, (APDA)  Shittu Mohammed expressed satisfaction over the exercise. Iheanacho Oguejiofor, Director of publicity of All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA)  spoke in the same vein.

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Findings revealed that the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and All Progressives Congress, (APC) were amongst the over 50 political parties that have met up with the deadline on submission of candidates list.

APC Director of Organisation, Alhaji Abubakar Kari led the party team to ICC, where INEC officials were attending to the volumes of forms submitted.

Checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed that certain chieftains of the ruling APC lost out in the petition they filed before the appeal panel,  led by former Edo state governor, Professor  Oserheimen Osunbor.

The panel threw out the petitions filed by senator representing  Rivers east, Magnus Abe and Lulu Briggs against the outcome of the governorship primary won by Tonye Cole.

In Adamawa state, the petitions filed by the former chairman of the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)  Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the brother-in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mahmoud Halilu suffered the same fate as the Professor Osunbor panel upheld the nomination of the incumbent governor, Jibrilla Bindow as the party candidate.

The only petition filed by Professor Pat Utomi, against the outcome of the governorship primary won by Great Ogboru was dismissed as the panel noted in its report, “overtaken by events.”

Six petitions were treated from Kaduna state for the Senatorial primaries with five of them rejected. The panel upheld the victory of Senator Shehu Sani while nine of the ten petitions received for the House of Representatives were rejected.