The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo State, may be without a candidate during the October 10, 2020 gubernatorial election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared.
A document reportedly seen by online medium SaharaReporters indicated that the party notified INEC that it had fixed July 20, 2020 for its primary election in the state and invited the Commission to monitor the exercise.
However, the letter, with Ref. No. APC/NHDQ/INEC/19/020/013 dated June 17, 2020 was only signed by the Acting National Secretary of the party, Waziri Bulama.
INEC, it was gathered, replied the party that the letter violated the provision of Article 4.4 of the Commission’s regulations and guidelines for the conduct of party primaries, which requires that such notices must be jointly signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of a political party.
Consequently, INEC rejected the letter and advised the party to ‘do the needful’. The letter was signed by the Secretary to INEC, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
As a result of the development, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, faces disqualification from the Ondo governorship election as the APC crisis may prevent the submission of names of contestants for the party’s primary.
By provision of Section 85 (1) of the Electoral Act, political parties are required to give INEC 21 days notice for the conduct of their primaries for governorship elections.
According to the timetable released by INEC on February 6, 2020, party primaries for the Ondo governorship election begins on July 2 and end on July 25 while the last day for submission of names of candidates is July 28.
