… says ‘no presidential candidate indicated such in their nomination forms
Independent National Electoral Commission says the concept of “placeholder” for running mates to presidential candidates of political parties “has no place in our constitutional and legal framework.”
INEC had fixed June 17 as the deadline for the nomination of vice-presidential candidates.
INEC’s decision followed the completion of presidential primaries by the various political parties.
However, to beat the INEC deadline, some presidential candidates submitted names of running mates they labelled “placeholders.’
APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, reportedly nominated Katsina politician, Kabiru Masari as his running mate, but speculations are rife in political quarters that Masari is a “placeholder” for a final candidate that will be named later.
Also, Labour Party’s Dr Doyin Okupe had announced that he would be “standing in as the vice-presidential candidate” for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, pending a final replacement.
But while reacting to this development on an Arise TV programme ,on Monday, INEC Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, described the “placeholder” as a “unique Nigerian invention,” which has no place in the commission’s law.
Okoye explained that INEC can only replace a candidate if the person writes a “sworn affidavit stating that he is withdrawing from the race within the time frame provided by the law.
“The constitution makes it very clear that you cannot run alone as a presidential candidate and must nominate an associate to run with you for that position, and as far as INEC is concerned, the presidential candidates have submitted their associates to run with them in the presidential election.
“As far as we are concerned, there’s no form submitted by the presidential candidate where they said ‘we’re submitting this person’s name as a place or space holder’.
“The issue of space or place holder is a unique Nigerian invention that has no place in our constitutional and legal framework.
“Political parties’ candidates have submitted names of associates to run with them, and that is the position of the law as at today and nothing has changed.
“For there to be a substitution of a candidate, the vice-presidential candidate must write to INEC, with a sworn affidavit stating that he is withdrawing from the race within the time frame provided by the law. That’s the only way there can be a substitution of candidates.”