The Chairman of the commission, Mahmood Yakubu said the deadline for the primary election will not be extended after Saturday, June 27, 2020.
He said, “All political parties interested in fielding candidates for the election are reminded that they must conclude their primaries for the nomination of candidates in the next ten days.
“The deadline is Saturday, 27th June 2020. I must stress that the date is firm and fixed. There will be no extension of the deadline.
“While the conduct of primaries and nomination of candidates will be the sole responsibility of political parties, our officials will monitor the primaries as required by law.”
The INEC boss also reminded the parties of some mandatory requirements for eligibility of candidates, adding that the commission will not extend the deadline for parties that fail to submit the names of the candidates for the election.
“Arising from our experience in managing the nomination of candidates for the last two governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states, it is important to draw the attention of political parties to the four mandatory requirements for eligibility of candidates for governorship elections enshrined in Section 177 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“A candidate nominated by a political party must be a Nigerian citizen by birth; must have attained the age of thirty-five (35) years; must be a member of, and sponsored by, a political party; and must be educated up to at least school certificate level or equivalent.
“Adherence to these clear constitutional provisions is compulsory in order to avoid the unnecessary litigation that follows the nomination of candidates, some of which are still pending before the courts.”
Yakubu also urged security agencies and other stakeholders to be proactive during the election.
