Segun James
As part of its preparation for the 2019 general elections, the Lagos office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the list of candidates for Presidential, Senatorial and the House of Representatives.
According to Mr. Femi Akinbiyi, the commission’s Public Relations Officer for the state, this is in line with the provision of Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
Akinbiyi said that “Section 31 (1) states: Every political party shall not later than 60 days before the date appointed for general election under the provisions of this Act, submit to the Commission, in the prescribed forms the list of candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the election provided that the Commission shall not reject or disqualify candidate(s)
“Furthermore section 31(3), states that: The Commission shall within 7 days of receipt of the personal particulars of the candidate, publish same in the constituency where the candidate intends to contest the election.”
He said in its bid to meet with these provisions, the INEC has published that “in all, 76 candidates will vie for the Presidential seat, 50 candidates for the three (3) Senatorial seats in the state and 249 candidates for the 24 federal constituencies.”
