The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, violated section 31(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 on the scheduled dates for the remaining Governorship elections in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Sokoto and Cross River States.
In a statement signed by the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and made available to LEADERSHIP in Abuja yesterday, it said that a look at the timetable scheduled by INEC for political parties to conduct their gubernatorial primaries and submit the names of their candidates especially in Sokoto and Cross River States, would show clearly that the action of INEC is in violation of the above mentioned Section of the Electoral Act.
According to the statement, “That, in the case of Sokoto and Cross River States scheduled to hold on February 18 and February 25, 2012, respectively, INEC violated Section 31(1) of the Electoral Act 2010, which states as follows: Every political Party shall not later than 60 days before the date appointed for a general election under the provisions of this Act, submit to the Commission in the prescribed forms the list of the candidates the Party proposes to sponsor at the elections.”
The party stated further that INEC’s timetable for the 2012 Governorship elections, December 29, 2011 and February 7, 2012 were fixed as the last dates for political parties to conduct their governorship primaries in Sokoto and Cross River States respectively.