10 parties withdraw candidates – INEC

10 parties withdraw candidates – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that at the expiration of its deadline for the withdrawal and replacement of presidential and National Assembly candidates on Tuesday, 10 political parties have written to the commission indicating their readiness to withdraw some of their flag bearers.

The commission set December 30 as the last day for candidates’ withdrawal and the subsequent replacement by parties, 45 days to the scheduled date of the election as required by law.

The December 30 deadline was set for the presidential and National Assembly candidates, as their elections would be conducted on February 14, 2015.

Spokesman of the INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu, told Daily Trust in Abuja yesterday that the legal department of the commission had received withdrawal applications from 10 political parties which fielded presidential and National Assembly members.

He however did not name either the parties or the candidates seeking to withdraw.

Mr Idowu said revealing the names of the parties or the candidates would be undermining the ongoing verification process by INEC. He added that since the law requires any candidate who wishws to withdraw after his party had submitted his name to the commission to write for withdrawal, it would take the INEC legal section some time to verify the letters and signatures.

He said the commission would on January 13 publish all the names of candidates after the withdrawals and replacements.

He said the publication would be in line with Section 34 of the Electoral Act which says such a list must be published 30 days before the election.