Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Saturday, November 11, 2023, for the conduct of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States’ governorship elections.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by INEC national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, he said the tenure of the incumbent governor of Imo State ends on 14th January, 2024 while those of Kogi and Bayelsa States end on 26th January, 2024 and 13th February, 2024 respectively.
Okoye said at its weekly meeting held Tuesday, the commission approved the timetable and schedule of activities for the governorship elections.
He said the decision was in fulfillment of the requirement of Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 which mandates INEC to publish the notice of election not later than 360 days before the date fixed for the election proper.
“Similarly, Sections 178(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 mandates the commission to conduct such elections not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of the last holder of the office.
“The tenure of the incumbent governor of Imo State ends on 14th January, 2024 while those of Kogi and Bayelsa States end on 26th January, 2024 and 13th February, 2024 respectively.
“Accordingly, the commission has decided to conduct the three elections on Saturday, 11th November, 2023,” Okoye said.
He added that the statutory notice for the elections would be published in the three states on 14th November, 2022.
Okoye also said that party primaries will be held from 27th March to 17th April, 2023 while the online portal for the submission of nomination forms (EC9 and EC9B) by political parties opens at 9.00am on 24th April, 2023 and closes at 6.00pm on 5th May, 2023.
He said, “The final list of candidates will be published on 9th June, 2023 while campaign by political parties commences on 14th June, 2023 and ends at midnight on 9th November, 2023.”
Meanwhile, INEC chairman, prof. Mahmoud has called on security agencies to train their operatives assigned for election duties on the Electoral Act.
Mahmoud said security agencies had been doing well, but should be encouraged to do more.
He spoke yesterday at a seminar on the role of security personnel and interagency collaboration in the electoral process which was organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in Abuja.
Yakubu, who was represented by director of security, Labari Nduh, said “Security agencies have been doing their bit and have been doing their training but we need to encourage them to do more. They should take their personnel through the 2022 Electoral Act, sharpen their skills on what they are supposed to do and improve on their performance.
“They must know the new electoral act as it concerns transmission and collation of results, because if you don’t know it you would not know when crime is being committed.”
He called on security agencies not to allow themselves to be used for electoral fraud.
He said, “In the immediate past, there have been some reported cases of some politicians deploying their personal security attaches to disrupt elections on various fronts. Some observer groups in such occasions also allege cases of the use of fake soldiers as well as the infiltration of some of the security formations by off-duty security personnel.
The acting country representative (Nigeria) of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Marija Peran, said the growing insecurity in Nigeria could likely have several effects on the elections and in the worst case undermine the election results.
“The scale of the insecurity has reached a degree that threatens the very fabric of Nigerian society. With the general elections 2023 ahead, matters are even more pressing. This shows the necessity for early intervention geared towards taming these threats which would in return encourage political participation and give the election outcomes legitimacy.
“The importance of having a secured environment for elections in Nigeria is not new because insecurity threats can affect an election’s conduct and outcomes. As we all know, in democratic nations, security agencies play a vital role as the watchdog of the society with the constitutional role of protecting lives and properties,” Peran added.
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