The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has declared that parties must submit names of candidates for Presidential and National Assembly elections by December 3, 2018.
Unveiling timetable and schedule of activities for 2019 general elections, on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja, INEC chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, also gave December 17, 2018, as the final date for submission of nomination forms for candidates for the governorship and State Assembly elections.
The final list of candidates for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections which will hold simultaneously with national assembly and governorship elections must also reach the Commission by December 14, 2018.
Giving further insight into the timetable, Professor Yakubu said collection of nomination forms by political parties for presidential, governorship, national and state assembly elections must be done
between 11th-24th August 2018.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that conduct of party primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from such primaries for national and state elections must be concluded between 18th August-7th October 2018.
He further revealed that political parties would be allowed to commence the campaign for votes, starting with presidential and national assembly candidates on 18th November 2018. Candidates for the governorship and state assembly will also be given same liberty, effective from December 1, 2018.
The INEC chairman also restated the reason why his Commission gave 16th February 2019 as the date for conduct for presidential and national assembly elections, while governorship and state assembly would hold on 2nd March 2019 .
‘’The decision of the Commission to fix election dates is to engender certainty in our electoral calendar and to enable all stakeholders to prepare adequately for elections, as is the case in many mature and developing democracies. Already, the Commission has concluded its Strategic Plan and the Strategic Plan of Action for the current electoral cycle and beyond covering the period 2017-2021 as well as Election Project Plan.
‘’The Commission is moving away from the culture of quick fix, fire brigade approach to the management of elections in Nigeria. As our democracy matures, the planning and implementation of electoral activities should be predictable and systematic. This is all the more pertinent given the size and population of the country, the terrain,
logistical requirements, the increasing number of political parties, security challenges and the number of constituencies for which elections are to be held. For instance, in 2019 the Commission will conduct elections for 1,558 Constituencies made up of one Presidential Constituency, 29 Governorship constituencies out of 36 (7 Governorship elections are staggered and conducted off-cycle), 109 Senatorial Districts, 360 Federal Constituencies, 991 State Assembly Constituencies, 6 Area Council Chairmen as well as 62 Councillorship positions for the FCT.’’
Answering a question on the Anambra central rerun election, Professor Yakubu said the election would be conducted on Saturday, in line with the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal.
‘’We are going by orders of the Court of Appeal, which pronounced that we must conduct the election within 90 days. The election will hold January 13, 2018.’’
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