The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has stated its position on the substitution of candidates for the forthcoming presidential election.
Report indicates that most of the presidential candidates submitted to the electoral umpire, what is being referred to as space or place keepers.
The name suggests that such vice-presidential candidates would be substituted later on as they were submitted to beat the deadline provided by the Electoral Act.
While Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, beat the deadline and submitted the name of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, the likes of Labour Party, LP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, are yet to pick their running mates.
APC candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, submitted the name of his personal assistant on protocol Kabiru Masari, while Peter Obi of the LP gave INEC the name of his Campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe.
And appearing on Arise TV on Monday morning, Festus Okoye, the INEC’s National Commissioner of Information and Voter Education, said the running mates can only be substituted if only they write the Commission, attaching a sworn affidavit.
“The law says that as a presidential candidate, you must nominate an associate to run with you and as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission is concerned, the presidential candidates have submitted their associates to run with them in the presidential election.
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