2023: INEC denies releasing new ‘final list’ of candidate

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied releasing a new final list of candidates for the 2023 general election on Sunday 8th January 2023.

The National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, cleared the air on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, the attention of the commission was drawn to media reports (not in Daily Trust) on Monday 9th January 2023, that the final list of candidates was released on its website on Sunday 8th January 2023.

“The commission wishes to state categorically that no new publication of the final list of candidates was released as reported. The public should therefore discountenance the story. For the record, the final list of candidates for the 2023 General Election would be published at least 150 days before the day of elections in compliance with the provision of Sec. 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.

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“Accordingly, the final list for Presidential and National Assembly elections was published on 20th September 2022 while that of Governorship and State Assembly elections was published two weeks later on 4th October 2022.

“These are clearly indicated as item 8 on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election released by the Commission on 26th February 2022,” Okoye said.

He said that there cannot be a final list of candidates with just 46 days to the general elections except for names published as substitutions for candidates nominated earlier in compliance with Court Order.

He said, “Moreover, some of the candidates that allegedly made the new “final” list are still in Court and the matter is therefore subjudice. Political parties, litigants and the public should be guided accordingly.”