The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday published the particulars of Kogi governorship candidates of political parties and their running mates respectively, at the State Headquarters of the commission. This was as required by section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
Prior the publication by INEC, the political parties had conducted their primaries and uploaded these personal particulars of their candidates and running mates to the INEC candidate nomination portal. It was a necessary ritual to meet up with the deadline of 6PM on May 5th, 2023. This deadline, was why all the parties ensured they had their primaries before the date.
However, most of the parties, while trying to buy time to shop for their sellable running mates, had to upload the name of what is now regarded as “placeholders” in Nigeria’s political sphere. Whereas, placeholder is not recognized by law as an electoral activity, it is allowed and can exist as an in-house arrangement with the person whose name will hold the place for substitution later.
Quoting the Katsina State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Jibril Zarewa, “there is no place in the law where you submit someone’s name and direct INEC to wait until you are ready to replace the person… what we know is that the law provides an opportunity for political parties to change their candidates.”
To buttress, the law allows political parties to substitute the names uploaded, on condition that the placeholder voluntarily agrees to step aside for a replacement, and writes to the party to that effect. In the instance where such placeholder refuses to yield, the party has no choice than to either convince or run along. This is peculiar with the positions of running mates.
To change a governorship candidate, the placeholder will have to write a letter to that effect to his or her political party, and the party takes the letter to INEC, and INEC will direct the political party to hold another primary.
Thus, for INEC, the political parties whose candidates are jostling for Governor Yahaya Bello’s seat come November 11th, have all registered their candidates and running mates.
However, it has been reliably gathered that substitution of running mates is highly expected before June, ahead of commencement of campaigns.
From the list published by INEC, political analysts have surmised that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP) have both executed the placeholder strategy to allow them shop for a perfect-fit running mate. Whilst the former uploaded a Muslim-Muslim candidate and running mate, the latter also uploaded candidate and running mate from the same senatorial district.
The political pundits also pitched the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as a likely third force in the ongoing ethnic agitations from the eastern part of the state; the party expected to likely withdraw its candidate and conduct another primary to fulfil the process stipulated by the law in a last-minute run.
Kogi Governorship: INEC Releases Names of Candidates, Running Mates
