2023: Akpabio and Lawan to know fate this month
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the dates for the release of the final lists of candidates in the 2023 general elections.
What’s the date?
The final list of candidates for Presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives seats will be released on September 20, ahead of the list of candidates in state elections (governorship and state Houses of assembly). The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the ”Expert Meeting on Conducting Nigeria’s 2023 General Elections in Volatile Security Environment”, an event organized by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in conjunction with INEC.
How about the state list?
Yakubu, who said that the publication of the final lists was in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election, said the list of candidates in state elections will be released two weeks later on October 4. While appealing to political parties and candidates to focus on issue-based campaigns, Yakubu said “campaign in public by political parties will officially commence on September 28 as provided for by Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022”.
Senate president Ahmed Lawan and former governor of Cross River State, Godswill Akpabio, will know their fate in the elections when the INEC list is released. While INEC has said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) risks not having candidates in the senatorial election in Yobe North senatorial district and Akwa Ibom North-west senatorial district, unless the names of valid primary election winners are submitted, the party insists that Lawan and Akpabio will be its flag bearers in both senatorial districts. The final list will reflect INEC’s decision on the subject.
