Elections 2015: INEC Rejects Seven Parties Governorship Candidates

As build up to the 2015 elections continues, The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) today, rejected the submission of
governorship candidates by seven parties in various states of the
federation.

The rejection, according to INEC, was as a result of the parties'
inability to nominate running mates.

The parties and the states affected are - Peoples Party of Nigeria
(PPN) in Delta state, Labour Party in Niger State, New Nigeria Peoples
Party in Ogun State, Unity Party of Nigeria in Oyo State, United
Democratic Party in Rivers State, and Peoples Democratic Movement in
Sokoto and Zamfara States respectively.

In a decision extract issued and signed by the Director (Commission's
Secretariat), Ishiaku A. Gali, the commission also approved that the
House of Representatives election in Ado/Opoku/Ogbadibo Federal
Constituency of Benue State, being uncontested, and as such, the
nominated candidate should be declared elected on the day of the
election by the Returning Officer.

Section 187 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) provides that a
candidate to the office of a governor shall not be deemed to be
validly nominated for such office unless he appoints another candidate
as his running mate who shall occupy the office of Deputy Governor.

"If after expiration of time for delivering of nomination papers,
withdrawal of candidates and the extension of time as provided for in
this Act there is only one person whose name is validly nominated in
respect of an election, other than to the office of the President or
Governor, that person shall be declared elected."

You'd recall that last week, the chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, rebuffed calls for the
postponement of the 2015 general election, insisting that the
scheduled elections will hold as planned.
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