2015: INEC extends deadline for submission of governorship forms to Dec. 26

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has shifted the deadline for submission of political parties’ candidates’ list for governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from December 25 to December 26, 2014. The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode

Idowu, stated this during an interview with journalists in his office on Thursday evening in Abuja. He said the commission shifted the date because it falls on christmas day. He, however, declined to comment on the number of political parties which had submitted or yet to summit the list bearing the names of their Presidential and National Assembly candidates. Punch reports Mr Idowu hinted that there was no extension for the December 18 (Thursday’s) deadline set for the submission of forms for Presidential and National Assembly candidates. It was earlier announced that prospective candidates for the Presidency and National Assembly in the 2015 general elections had Thursday (yesterday) as the last day for the submission of Forms CF001 and CF002 at INEC headquarters. This is in line with Section 31(c) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) which provides for not later than 60 days before election. Mr Idowu added that any political party that fails to submit by the set deadline, which was 8pm of December 18, 2014, would not have the opportunity to submit again. He said the comission had planned to close submission by 6pm on Thursday but had to shift it till 8pm due to pleadings from politicians that deadline should be moved till midnight. He said, “For the Presidential and National Assemblies elections, the deadline is Thursday, December 18 (yesterday) by 8 p.m. for the submission of form CF001 and CF002.’’ “Even by tomorrow (Friday), you may not likely get the information from INEC because the law provides that what is being submitted today must be officially published on December 25. “It also provides that whatever names submitted for governorship and state Houses of Assembly election, on December 26, 2014, should be officially published on the January 1, 2015.’’ Idowu added that there was a constitutional provision for the withdrawal of candidates, adding that, “but the person who is nominated to INEC has to write and sign that he or she is withdrawing from this race. When he or she does that, the party can bring another name within the stipulated time.”

--TodayNG