The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said 14 parties have submitted nominations for Edo governorship election.
The commission disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mr. Festus Okoye.
He said the particulars of the nominated candidates would be published at the Edo State office of the commission and simultaneously uploaded on its website today.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that from the provisional list of the nominated candidates by the 14 parties, only the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party was a woman.
The list also indicated that only African Democratic Congress and the Social Democratic Party nominated women as running mates.
Okoye said 15 parties earlier signified their intention to conduct primaries for the nomination of their candidates, adding that the exercise ended on June 27.
“At the close of nominations on June 29 at 6pm, 14 parties used the dedicated online portal of the commission to submit the list of candidates that emerged from their primaries.
“The provisional list of the candidates disaggregated on the basis of name, gender, age and qualification has been uploaded on our website and social media platforms.
“As required by law, the particulars of the nominated candidates will be published at the Edo State office of the commission and simultaneously uploaded on our website on July 2,” he said.
Okoye told the public to go through the nomination forms, affidavits and documents submitted by the parties on behalf of their candidates.
He advised that any person who had reasonable grounds to believe that any information in the affidavit or any document submitted by any candidate was false should take legal action.
Okoye said such a person may file a suit at the Federal High Court, High Court of a state or the FCT against such a candidate seeking declaration that the information contained in the affidavit was false.
He noted that the final list of duly nominated candidates would be published on August 13, after withdrawals by candidates and substitution by their parties.
Okoye said the commission also deliberated on issues, including Ondo State end of tenure of governorship election as well as the Nasarawa Central State Constituency by-election.
He said parties interested in nominating candidates for the Ondo governorship poll should note that the conduct of primaries would begin on July 2 and end on July 25.
“The last date for the submission of the names of duly nominated candidates is July 28.
“For the Nasarawa State Central Constituency by-election, the conduct of primaries for the nomination of candidates will start on June 30 and end on July 6,” Okoye said.
He said the commission was encouraged by the seamless online nomination of candidates for the Edo governorship election, using its newly introduced dedicated portal.
Okoye said the same procedure would be applied in the Ondo governorship poll, Nasarawa Central State Constituency by-election and all subsequent elections to be conducted by the commission.
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“Accordingly, parties are encouraged to obtain their nomination access codes from the commission for the by-election and upload the list of their candidates and their particulars to the dedicated portal between July 3 and 7.
“For the Ondo governorship election, the commission’s dedicated portal for the submission of the names of candidates that emerge from valid party primaries will open on July 21 and close on July 28.
“Parties are encouraged to submit the list of their candidates in time, as the portal will automatically close at 6pm on the last date for the submission of nominations,” he said.
He advised parties, candidates, aspirants and supporters to obey laws, regulations and guidelines, especially in their campaigns.
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