As the registered political parties participating in the
November 16, 2013 governorship election in Anambra State scramble to
As political parties try to beat today’s dealine for submission of
nomination forms for the November 16, 2013 gubernatorial race in
Anambra State, calls have gone
to the Independent National Electoral Commission and security operatives to take
steps to arrest and prosecute candidates of some political parties reported to
have presented double candidates for the exercise..
The call came against the backdrop that all the parties are expected
to submit the
nomination forms CF001 and CF 002 at the
National Headquarters of the electoral body on or before today in accordance to
Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 which provides for same not later than 60
days before the election.
Ngige, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial
flagbearer and Emmanuel Okechukwu, onetime Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)
chairman Awka branch and Anambra branch who spoke ahead of the
closing date notes that the
law is clear on the matter.
Both spoke in Awka,, Anambra State
capital weekend pointing out that , after the deadline, if any party
submits names of double candidates, it is deemed to breach the
provision of the Electoral Act .
They fingered at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as being culpable having held
parallel primaries
which resulted in the emergence of two different candidates on one and same
platform, adding that INEC should report
the matter to the police and other security agencies for them to swing into
action and prosecute the suspected offenders.
Ngige and Okechukwu warned that if INEC or law enforcement agencies
fail to carry out their duties, due process of the law would be take to redress
the issue.
According to them , presentation
of double candidate as widely reported would give the parties indulging in them
undue advantage.
Recall that following the August 18 commencement of campaign
by political parties, 90 days before the gubernatorial race as
provided in Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended , each
party
swung into action after which it held its
primary to democratically nominate a candidate
in a prescribed form from August to September 2, this year as provided
by Section
87 of the same Act..
