The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given condition in which Presidential candidates could substitute their Vice Presidential candidates for next year’s election.
Straightnews learned that some presidential candidates submitted what they termed ‘place holders’ to the electoral umpire to beat its June 17 deadline as provided in the Electoral Act, 2022, hoping to substitute later with authentic ones.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate submitted the name of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, but Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are yet to pick their running mates.
APC candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, submitted the name of Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, while Peter Obi of the LP gave INEC the name of his Campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe.
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Speaking on Arise TV on Monday morning, Festus Okoye, the INEC’s National Commissioner of Information and Voter Education, said the running mates could only be substituted only if they die or voluntarily withdraw from the race.
According to him, the running mate has to write the Commission giving a 14-day window and attaching a sworn affidavit to withdraw from the race.
“The law says that as a presidential candidate, you must nominate an associate to run with you and as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission is concerned, the presidential candidates have submitted their associates to run with them in the presidential election.
“As far as we are concerned, there’s no form submitted by the presidential candidate where they said ‘we’re submitting this person’s name as a place or space holder.’’
“The issue of space or place holder is a unique Nigerian invention that has no place in our constitutional and legal framework,” he said.
“Politically parties’ candidates have submitted names of associates to run with them and that is the position of the law as at today and nothing has changed.
“For there to be a substitution of candidate, the Vice presidential candidate must write to INEC, with a sworn affidavit stating that he is withdrawing from the race within the time frame provided by the law. That’s the only way there can be a substitution of candidates.”
Section 33 of Electoral Act, 2022 states A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidates whose name has been submitted under Section 29 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal of the candidate.
Provided in the case of death or withdrawal of a candidate, the political party shall, within 14 days of the occurrence of the event, hold a fresh primary to produce and submit a fresh candidate to the Commission for the election concerned.
