The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC will release the final list of candidates for presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections on September 20, its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said on Thursday.
Yakubu said this at an event tagged, “Expert meeting on conducting Nigeria’s 2023 general elections in volatile security environment” created by the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in Nigeria in together with the Centre for Democracy and Development.
He said, “Activities towards the 2023 general election will enter the critical stages this month. In the next 19 days, that was on September 20, 2022, the commission will publish the final list of candidates for national elections (presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives) as know in Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and the timetable and schedule of activities that released by the commission.
“This will be followed on October 4, 2022 by the publication of the final list of candidates for state elections (governorship and state Houses of Assembly). Campaign in out by political parties will officially start on September 28, 2022 as provided by Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.”
With this revelation by INEC, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, of the would know their fate at the stated date.
The Dornlinsal Global Resources reported that Lawan, Umahi, Akpabio had chosen to pick Senate tickets for Yobe North, Ebonyi South and Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts respectively, after lost at the presidential primaries of the APC.
The move stirred controversy since most Senate primaries were conducted before the presidential primaries.