Ondo Guber: Only 19 Parties Have Submitted Candidates’ Details – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said nineteen political parties have submitted the details of their candidates for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Oluwatoyin Babalola, disclosed this on Friday during a meeting with political party representatives at the commission office in Akure, the state capital.

Babalola stated the parties involved have duly notified the commission about conducting their primaries for the governorship election in the state.

She said the political parties that have notified INEC include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

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Others are the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Boot Party (BP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Youth Party (YP), Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The REC further informed that the commission received notification from the political parties for the conduct of primaries for the governorship election exercise billed to commence from April 6 to 27.

She stated that the meeting was an opportunity to engage with political parties on the upcoming party primaries and represented a critical juncture in the democratic journey in the State.

The INEC REC said the role of political parties in ensuring the success and integrity of the process cannot be overemphasized.

Babalola urged all parties to adhere strictly to the guidelines, rules, and regulations outlined in their constitutions and all electoral laws in the conduct of their primaries next month.

She, however, advised parties to entrench the principle of internal democracy in the conduct of their primaries to reduce tension, division, and pre-election cases that may arise after the primaries.