The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday advised Nigerians to file lawsuits against candidates who they knew submitted false certificates for their eligibility to contest the 2023 elections.
The commission also said it was also involved in 334 pre-election court cases that arose from the conduct of congresses and primaries by political parties for the 2023 general election.
The chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated these at the swearing-in of Dr. Hale Longpet as Resident Electoral Commissioner on Thursday in Abuja.
Yakubu said Longpet who is from Plateau State has been deployed as REC for Kogi State.
The INEC chairman said the commission would on Friday publish the personal particulars of candidates nominated by their political parties for governorship and State Assembly elections in all the constituencies nationwide as required by law.
According to him, with the publication of the personal particulars of candidates for governorship, Deputy Governorship and State Assembly elections, the commission expect the number of cases to increase.
He said, “I appeal to all Nigerians (citizens and aspirants) to seize the opportunity to scrutinise the particulars of the candidates and to seek judicial remedy for any observed violation of the law as provided in Sec. 29 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“Already, the commission has been inundated by numerous pre-election cases arising from the conduct of congresses and primaries by political parties for the 2023 General Election.
“So far, 334 pre-election cases have been filed in various divisions of the Federal High Court across the country by aspirants challenging the nomination of candidates or their exclusion from the list submitted to the Commission.”
He said though these are purely intra-party issues, the commission had been joined in all the cases.
Yakubu said the issue of internal democracy in parties remains a sore point in the nation’s electoral process in Nigeria, adding that INEC would continue to engage with them while standing firm against any transgression by strictly enforcing the provisions of the law and extant regulations and guidelines.
