The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has disclosed that the final list of candidates for Presidential, Senate, House of Representatives, and Governorship candidates alongside State Houses of Assembly will be published on September 20th and October 4th respectively ahead of the 2023 poll.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said this on Thursday in Abuja at the ”Expert Meeting on Conducting Nigeria’s 2023 General Elections in Volatile Security Environment”.
The event was organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in
conjunction with INEC.
Yakubu said that the publication of the final list was
in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and
Schedule of Activities released by the commission.
”Campaign in public by political parties will
officially commence on Sept. 28 as provided for by Section 94(1) of the Electoral
Act, 2022.
”As campaigns commence, we appeal to all political
parties and candidates to focus on issue-based campaigns.
“This is the best way to complement our efforts to
ensure transparent elections in which only the votes cast by citizens determine
the winner,” he said.
Yakubu said activities for the 2023 General
Elections would enter critical stages this month from the next 19 days onward.
“The commission welcomes this initiative and as
Co-Chairman of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security
(ICCES), there is no doubt that the security agencies also welcome ideas and
citizens’ support towards peaceful elections,” he said.
The Director, CDD, Ms Idayat Hassan, said that the
meeting was being held against the background of security challenges plaguing
the country.
Hassan said the idea was to start talking about how
to deescalate the tension and how to secure the environment, such that INEC
would be able to assess all parts of the country to conduct a peaceful and
legitimate election come 2023.
” I think one for this election, the security of
election materials, the security of personnel, the security of voters are in
context and there is actually the problem in INEC assessing all areas.
“We should note that this is not just an INEC problem, this is a stakeholder’s problem, insecurity is already prevailing.
“The challenge we are having is how to do we conduct election against the
background of this prevailing insecurity? It will behold on the federal
government and other stakeholders to come in.”
Mr Chris Pycroft, the Development Director, Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), said that the office was delighted to be partnering with CDD and providing funding for the event and related activity to promote peaceful and secure elections in 2023.
According to Pycroft, this is a top priority for the
UK in Nigeria over the coming six months, and one of the multiple initiatives
in partnership with Nigerian and international stakeholders.
”The stakes have never felt higher. Nigeria is facing more challenges than ever
before in its democratic history to run a peaceful and secure election.
“These elections are profoundly important not only
for Nigeria but also for the African continent and democracy across the world,
“he said.
Pycroft said there was more at stake in terms of the
unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria’s diverse religious, ethnic, and
cultural communities.
Prof. Adebayo Olukoshi, Election Expert, CDD, said
that Nigeria was challenged with several security challenges and there was a
need to seek ways to curb them before the election.
Olukoshi said that there was also the need to
understand the various conflicts being faced with a view to developing a
topology that would best address them.
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