By NATHANIEL GANA

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will today, Friday, July 22, 2022, publish the personal particulars of candidates nominated by their political parties for the 2023 Governorship and State Assembly elections in all the constituencies nationwide.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the disclosure during the swearing-in of a new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Hale Gabriel Longpet, at the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday, 21st July 2022.

Prof. Yakubu appealed to citizens and aspirants “to seize the opportunity to scrutinise the particulars of the candidates and seek judicial remedy for any observed violation of the law as provided in Sec. 29 of the Electoral Act 2022”.

The INEC Chairman regretted that the failure of some political parties to practice internal democracy had resulted in several court cases in which the Commission had also been joined as a respondent.

His words: “Already, the Commission has been inundated by numerous pre-election cases arising from the conduct of congresses and primaries by political parties for the 2023 General Election.

“So far, 334 pre-election cases have been filed in various divisions of the Federal High Court across the country by aspirants challenging the nomination of candidates or their exclusion from the list submitted to the Commission.

“Although these are purely intra-party issues, the Commission has been joined in all these cases. With the publication tomorrow of the personal particulars of candidates for Governorship, Deputy Governorship and State Assembly elections, we expect the number of cases to rise even higher.”

He added: “Sadly, the issue of internal democracy in political parties remains a sore point in our electoral process in Nigeria. The Commission will continue to engage with political parties while standing firm against any transgression by strictly enforcing the provisions of the law and extant regulations and guidelines”.

•PHOTO: L-R: National Commissioner, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and National Commissioner, Barrister Festus Okoye, at the Swearing in of the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Kogi State, Dr Hale Gabriel Longpet, at the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja on Thursday, 21st July 2022. PHOTO: TAIWO MAKANJUOLA

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