INEC Releases Guidelines for Screening of Candidates

• Jonathan, Buhari, others face INEC verification c’ttee
Jan16-18
By Chuks Okocha

Preparatory to the National Assembly and state assembly
elections expected to hold February 14, the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) will commence the
verification of the credentials submitted by the political
parties on behalf of their respective candidates.
In the same manner, the verification exercise for
presidential candidates of 10 political parties for the
February 14 presidential election is expected to hold
between January 16 and 18 next year.
INEC, it was gathered, would be using the provisions of
the constitution and the Electoral Act for the screening
and verification of the documentation presented by the
various candidates of the political parties.
In this regard, INEC would set up committees for the
verification of candidates vying for national and state
assemblies and members of these committees will be
visiting the states to verify the personal particulars of the
candidates between January 4 and 14.
However, the presidential and governorship verification
exercise as well as the clearance committee will conduct
its screening at the commission’s headquarters, Abuja,
from January 16 to 18.
As penalty for candidates with false credentials, INEC is
threatening to impose a fine of N500,000 on parties that
present such candidates.
The guidelines for the screening and verification exercise
were posted on the INEC website yesterday.
The guidelines state: “Parties are requested to ensure that
the candidates they intend to sponsor at the elections are
available with the originals of all their credentials at the
respective venues for the exercise, in case they are
required.
“The attention of parties and their candidates is also
drawn to Section 32 of the Electoral Act, 2006, which
disqualifies any candidate who provides false information
in his/her affidavit (Form CF 001) from contesting
elections.
“Furthermore, a political party which presents such a
candidate that is guilty of the offence, is liable to a fine up
to N500, 000.”
The INEC form 0001 that contains the personal details are
displayed in all the state and local government offices of
the commission in the constituencies of the candidates.
The guidelines further state that “any person who has
reasonable grounds to believe that any information given
by any candidate is false, or that the candidate is not
qualified, or should be disqualified from contesting the
elections should notify the commission in writing within
seven days of this publication”.
The presidential candidates expected to contest the
February presidential election, as released by INEC, are
President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Major-General Muhammadu Buhari of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), and a woman, Prof. Comfort
Oluremi Sonaiya of Kowa Party.
Others are Ambrose Albert (Hope Democratic Party);
Ganiyu Galadima (Allied Congress Party of Nigeria); Rafiu
Salau (Alliance for Democracy); Godson Okoye (United
Democratic Party); Dr. Nani Ibrahim Ahmad (African
Democratic Congress); Martin Onovo (National Conscience
Party); Tunde Anifowoshe-Kelani (Action Alliance); and
Chekwas Okorie (United Progressive Party).
Their running mates are: Vice-President Namadi Sambo
(PDP); Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (APC); Haruna Shaba (Hope
Democratic Party); Balarabe Ahmed (Allied Congress Party
of Nigeria); Prof. Clinton Cliff Akuchie (Alliance for
Democracy); Haruna Adamu (United Democratic Party);
Obianuju Murphy-Uzohue (African Democratic Congress);
Ibrahim Mohammed (NCP); Saidu Bobboi (Kowa Party);
Comrade Paul Ishaka Ofomile (Action Alliance); and Bello
Umar (United Progressive Party).

Culled from Thisday