Despite assurances by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, it failed to display the list of presidential
candidates for the 2015 general elections on Friday.
But political parties have continued to submit the list of
candidates for the governorship and State Houses of
Assembly elections to beat deadlines stipulated by INEC.
Although the commission has explained that the list of
candidates, except that of the Presidency would be
displayed in the constituencies, Saturday PUNCH learnt
during a visit to INEC Headquarters that as of 5.30 pm on
Friday, the presidential candidates’ list had yet to be
displayed.
A source in the legal department of the commission told our
correspondent that none of the lists of candidates were
published in Abuja.
“Even the list of Presidential candidates would be
published in the constituencies and not Abuja. The reason
is to allow any person who has any complaints about
papers filed by the Presidential candidates to do so,” he
stated.
The Director of Voter Education and Publicity in INEC, Mr.
Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi and the Chief Press Secretary to INEC
Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, made the clarifications
regarding the publications in the constituencies in separate
interviews with our correspondent.
When asked if the lists of candidates have been published,
Osaze-Uzzi said, “Well I am aware that it has been
published. I am not in Abuja and have not checked the
website. It is published in the constituencies. So you need
to get to the states. I know that we have published what we
could for instance in Anambra State; but I don’t know what
has been published.”
Several calls and text messages to the Anambra Resident
Electoral Commissioner, Prof Chukwuemeka Onukaogu,
were not replied.
Idowu on his part explained that the lists would be
published in the constituencies, except that of Presidential
candidates.
He said, “The lists are submitted in Abuja, but I think what
the law says is that we publish it in the constituencies. So,
for the Presidency for instance, the constituency is national
and it will most likely be published in INEC office in Abuja.
But for the others, including the list of candidates for
Senatorial and House of Representatives elections, I
suspect they may be published in the state offices of INEC.”
Yesterday (Friday) was the last day of grace for political
parties which had yet to submit the names of their
candidates for governorship and House of Assembly
elections to the INEC, according to the time table released
by the commission.
The deadline for the submission of forms for governorship
and House of Assembly elections had earlier been shifted
from December 25 to December 26, 2014 because of the
holiday.
Prospective candidates for the Presidency and National
Assembly in the 2015 general elections had submitted their
Forms CF001 and CF002 at INEC Headquarters.Source punch.