Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disqualified the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) deputy governorship candidate in Kogi State, Awombo Bala, for being under-aged in the November 16 guber election in the state.
INEC, in a letter by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran Anthony, said the nomination of Bala was invalid because he’s under-aged.
But the APM gubernatorial candidate, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, has said the disqualification of his running mate was an attempt to suffocate political parties in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
INEC said the constitutional age for governorship candidates is 35 years in line with sections 177 (b) and 187(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, but Bala is 30.
Also reacting, INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, denied the allegations that the commission wanted to truncate democracy in Nigeria.
Rather, he said: “INEC will go a long way to protect democracy by ensuring the supremacy of the constitution.”
Okoye told THISDAY that any party that contradicts the constitutional provisions for the nomination would not be given a chance of substitution as the nomination was invalid in the first place.
“If there was a nomination and a candidate that was duly nominated decided on his own to write his political party withdrawing from the race, the political party that nominated him can substitute his name. Other than that, the only way any political party can carry out substitution is if the candidate so nominated dies or is incapacitated. If a political party nominates an under-aged candidate, it is invalid and there is nothing to substitute because it is a joint ticket,” he said.
But Dantalle, while addressing newsmen in Abuja, accused INEC of trying to suffocate political parties in favour of APC.
He alleged: “There is a grand plan to rig Kogi governorship election in favour of APC, and that plan is strong. We can recall the primary election in APC; some strong contenders in APC were disqualified. Now there is a plan to disqualify some political parties using INEC
“There were political parties that accepted money through the Secretary to the State Government. I was approached to withdraw from the contest, but I declined. For those who refused to withdraw, INEC may use legal technicalities to disqualify them.
“As I am talking to you, 13 political parties have not been allowed to key into the political process. It is in the law that after nomination, INEC will make provisions for withdrawal and replacement of candidates.
“My own party, for instance, we were written that our deputy governorship candidate was not duly nominated because of age, and this was happening within the period allowed for replacement. Today is the last day for the replacement. We went there on Friday with the request but they did not attend to us.”
