The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has provided an explanation for why it is unable to replace Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State, as the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) senatorial candidate.
Eko Hot Blog reports that despite defecting from the party on August 29, Mr. Shekarau’s name was on the INEC final list as the NNPP’s senatorial candidate for Kano Central District.
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Mr. Shekarau switched allegiances to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the state’s dominant opposition party.
In an earlier report, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, and Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State, who is Abubakar’s running mate, were present when the former governor said he was quitting the party.
Mr. Shekarau claimed at the occasion that he had written to the NNPP leadership of his desire to leave the party.
“I and thousands of my followers have defected to the People Democratic Party, and are now bonafide members of the PDP,” he said.
“I have formally written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that I am no longer a senatorial candidate under the NNPP, Mr Shekarau said during his defection to the PDP last month.
But INEC said it was unaware Shekarau left the NNPP which guided its decision to publish his name as one of the party’s senatorial candidates.
The INEC’s head of legal department in Kano, Suleiman Tahir, in a media interaction with reporters on Thursday said they cannot replace Mr Shekarau’s name because the new electoral law did not allow that.
“The new electoral law said once your name was initially displayed, before displaying the final list, a candidate will write INEC officially, attach his photos, notifying the INEC (his/her) withdrawal from the contest, or in the event someone dies. These are the only two instances one can withdraw once his name was initially displayed.
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“Mr Shekarau did not do any of the above, Mr Tahir said.
The official said INEC , as an institution guided by law, did not know whether Mr Shekarau left the NNPP because there is no official correspondence from either his party (NNPP) or himself notifying INEC of his defection, and withdrawal from the contest.
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