Anambra Guber Poll: We Can Only Replace Candidates Based On Court Order, Says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it can
only replace the name of a candidate for the Anambra governorship
election, when it receives a court order to that effect.

INEC, on Friday, had published the list of qualified aspirants
for the Anambra governorship election scheduled to hold in
November.

On INEC’s list, Charles Soludo, former governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria, was replaced with Michael Umeoji as the
standard-bearer for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),
while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had no candidate.

INEC had said the decision on Soludo and Umeoji was based on a
court order, but the campaign group for the former CBN governor had
insisted that its aspirant would contest the election as the APGA
candidate.

Speaking on the development when he featured on a programme on
Channels Television on Friday, Festus Okoye, INEC national
commissioner and chairman, information and voter education, said
INEC can only replace the names of candidates based on court
orders, as the timeframe for party primaries has elapsed.

“The period given in our timetable and schedule of activities
for the submission of the names of the candidates, which is bound
by the electoral act, has elapsed, and that is the ninth day of
July, 2021,” he said.

“Within that particular window that we gave, the parties
submitted the names of candidates. Now, if at the end of the day,
the court makes a determination that the candidate whose name was
submitted is not the candidate, and the court gives us an order in
relation to another validly nominated candidate, of course, under
the section 287 of the constitution of the federal republic of
Nigeria, the commission is duty-bound to give effect to properly
constituted court of law.

“But in terms of political parties submitting lists of
candidates, you cannot do that anymore. The period given in our
timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of primaries
has elapsed.

“The court only operates on the basis of existing law, and on
the basis of the constitutional provision.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it can
only replace the name of a candidate for the Anambra governorship
election, when it receives a court order to that effect.

INEC, on Friday, had published the list of qualified aspirants
for the Anambra governorship election scheduled to hold in
November.

On INEC’s list, Charles Soludo, former governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria, was replaced with Michael Umeoji as the
standard-bearer for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),
while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had no candidate.

INEC had said the decision on Soludo and Umeoji was based on a
court order, but the campaign group for the former CBN governor had
insisted that its aspirant would contest the election as the APGA
candidate.

Speaking on the development when he featured on a programme on
Channels Television on Friday, Festus Okoye, INEC national
commissioner and chairman, information and voter education, said
INEC can only replace the names of candidates based on court
orders, as the timeframe for party primaries has elapsed.

“The period given in our timetable and schedule of activities
for the submission of the names of the candidates, which is bound
by the electoral act, has elapsed, and that is the ninth day of
July, 2021,” he said.

“Within that particular window that we gave, the parties
submitted the names of candidates. Now, if at the end of the day,
the court makes a determination that the candidate whose name was
submitted is not the candidate, and the court gives us an order in
relation to another validly nominated candidate, of course, under
the section 287 of the constitution of the federal republic of
Nigeria, the commission is duty-bound to give effect to properly
constituted court of law.

“But in terms of political parties submitting lists of
candidates, you cannot do that anymore. The period given in our
timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of primaries
has elapsed.

“The court only operates on the basis of existing law, and on
the basis of the constitutional provision.”