Ex-INEC chiefs warn APC, LP that interim running mates are perilous.

 Ex-INEC chiefs warn APC, LP that interim running mates are perilous.

Bola Tinubu And Peter Obi

Former directors of the Independent National Electoral Commission and Nigerian Senior Advocates have cautioned that political parties may confront problems over the nomination of placeholders as running mates for their respective candidates ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Ex-officials of the electoral umpire, speaking to The MEDIA in separate interviews on Monday, warned that if the placeholder refuses to withdraw for the genuine vice-presidential candidates, parties and their candidates could lose their presidential aspirations.

Another point expressed by the ex-INEC officials was that if a proxy running mate who was not qualified to be vice-president refused to withdraw from the campaign, the parties and their candidates could lose their tickets.

Several political parties had submitted their nominations by 6.pm on the deadline set by INEC.Dazang issues a warning to all parties involved.

Former INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Nick Dazang, stated that the candidates were just attempting to take advantage of the Electoral Act's provision for substitutes.

According to him, presidential candidates are selecting running mates who will provide ethnoreligious balance to their ticket, as well as electoral value and voter appeal.

"I believe the deal presently is between them and those surrogates," Dazang stated. Someone was claimed to have (supposedly) maintained a seat in trust for the Senate President in Yobe and refused to resign for him. (In an interview with The PUNCH, Bashir Machina, the Yobe North senatorial primary winner)On the eve of their inauguration, the Supreme Court annulled the election of the APC's candidate, Mr David Lyon, and his running partner, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, due to inconsistencies in the latter's certificates.

While the INEC proclaimed Lyon and Degi-Eremienyo victors of the November 16, 2019 election, the top court pronounced Senator Douye Diri of the APC and his running mate, Senator Lawrence Ewrujakpor of the APC, to be legitimately elected governor and deputy governor, respectively.

"It's not a single ticket; it's a shared ticket," Dazang explained. As a result, we expect the candidates to have done their study and ensured that the people they are presenting informally or as surrogates have the required qualifications in the field.And I can also tell you that, after ongoing consultations with the President, the Northern Governors Forum, the party leadership, and all stakeholders, if His Excellency Asiwaju and his running mate believe they need to tinker with the pair, with the running mate, they will do so and inform all Nigerians. This, however, would be done in accordance with INEC norms and election law. That's all I have to say on the subject."

"Nobody gave me any condition," Masari said in an SMS to one of our correspondents. "But when they come out with a substantive VP nomination, I will withdraw my name."

Peter Obi, the LP's presidential standard-bearer, could be a contender.Doyin Okupe, Obi's surrogate running companion, did not return calls on Monday, and he had yet to react to an SMS asking if he had signed a commitment to step down for another candidate.

Mr Sani Saeed Altukry, a spokesman for the Peter Obi Support Network, said Okupe's name would be removed as soon as talks with other key opposition groups were completed.

He stated that, while he was unaware of any withdrawal affidavits being completed, Okupe stepped in as Obi's running mate in order to meet the INEC deadline for submitting candidate and running mate names.

He predicted that Peter Obi's running mate would be a powerful northerner.INEC's stance

INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, commented on the matter, saying that any political party could only swap running mates by writing to the commission and submitting an affidavit.

"As far as we're concerned," Okoye said in an interview with Arise TV on Monday, "there's no form submitted by the presidential candidates where they indicated 'we're submitting this person's name as a vacancy or placeholder."

"The concept of a placeholder or a vacancy is a novel innovation that has no place in our legal and constitutional system." As a presidential candidate, you are required by law to pick a running mate. And in terms of theI'd rather follow the existing laws and constitutional provisions. The Electoral Act specifies the mechanism for nominating candidates, as well as the procedure for substituting names in the event of death or withdrawal of any candidate, whether the substantive candidate or the running mate."

However, in a conversation with one of our correspondents, an ex-INEC National Commissioner, Prof Lai Olurode, stated that the usage of placeholder posed no risk.

According to Olurode, the Electoral Act allows for the substitution of names as long as it is done within the time frame set by the legislation.

"The new Electoral Act enables that," he added, "except that there are days during which you must submit names of your real candidates, or you will forfeit your vote."Meanwhile, some lawyers claim that the law allows presidential candidates to submit surrogate running mates to INEC and then replace them with substantive running mates later.

Babatunde Ogala, SAN, the Tinubu Campaign Organisation's Head of Legal Directorate, argued that the Electoral Act 2022 permits a political party to replace its candidates up to three months before an election.

However, Ogala, a former APC Legal Adviser, refused to disclose whether it was all part of the political game or if Tinubu had made up his mind about his running partner.

Another SAN, Wole Olanipekun, claimed that there was nothing illegal about vice-presidential candidates holding positions to avoid an election deadline.

Every effort was made to get to the APC.

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