The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Wednesday that 48 political parties filed nominations for the Sept. 22 governorship election in Osun.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the swearing-in of two Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the commissionโs headquarters in Abuja.
Yakubu said that the commission was currently processing the nomination forms.
โOur preparations for the Osun governorship election continued in earnest.
โNomination of candidates closed yesterday (Tuesday) in line with the timetable and schedule of activities released by the commission in October, 2017.
โA record number of 48 political parties have nominated candidates for the election. The commission is currently processing the nomination forms,โ Yakubu said.
The two new RECs were Garba Madami and Ahmed Mahmud.
President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier on Wednesday sworn in Mr Festus Okoye, a human rights activist, as INEC National Commissioner.
Yakubu said that โwith the new RECs, INEC now had the full complement of 12 National Commissioners and โall but two RECsโ.
He expressed optimism that the new RECs would bring their knowledge and experience to bear in the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
The Chairman advised them โto quickly familiarise themselves with the relevant provision of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), INECโs plans, guidelines and regulations as well as established processes and procedures.
โOn the practical side of your work, you must immediately interact with your staff and pay attention to their welfare.
โAlso visit the local government offices in your states and assess the various facilities and critical requirements for the 2019 general elections, ranging from the recruitment and training of ad hoc staff, logistics and more.
โWithin the confines of the law, I encourage you to be imaginative in responding to the needs of the electorate and add value to the electoral process.
โIn doing so, always seek for clarification and, where necessary, the approval of the commission.โ
He said that Madami would be deployed to Kwara while Mahmud would work in Kebbi state.
Yakubu disclosed that INEC has also received additional declaration of vacancies from the Rivers and Taraba Houses of Assembly.
These, according to him, were in respect of Port Harcourt III State Constituency and Takum I State Constituency in Taraba.
โSince the law requires the commission to conduct the elections within one month from the declaration of vacancy, the bye-elections in Rivers and Taraba will be held simultaneously on Aug.18.
โThe timetable and schedule of activities for the two elections will be released tomorrow after the weekly meeting of the commission.
โWith this development, the commission will be conducting six bye-elections before the Osun Governorship election scheduled for Sept. 22.
