INEC Releases 2019 General Elections Dates

With 23 months to the 2019 General Elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released dates for the next general elections.
In a statement yesterday INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of South-West, Prince Solomon Soyebi said the 2019 presidential and National Assemblies elections will hold on Saturday, 16, February 2019, while the governorship, state Assembly/Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections will hold on Saturday 2nd of March 2019.
Soyebi explained that the decision of the commission to release the time table early enough was designed ‘ to ensure certainty in our dates for elections  and to allow for proper planning by the commission, political parties, security agencies, candidates and all stakeholders”.
He noted that the nation’s democracy is maturing and the commission believes that there should be certainty with regards to time table for elections.
Citing the US election as an example, the INEC’s National Commissioner said General elections are always held in the second Tuesday of November in the election year, while in Ghana is the 7th of December of the election year.
Justifying the position of INEC for the release of the election time table, Soyebi explained that the Nigerian constitution provides for election to hold not earlier than 150 days and not later 30-days to the end of the incumbent’s tenure.
He also used the forum to intimate the people that the commission has received report from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that 23-electoral officers indicted over the investigation into the 10 December Rivers Rerun election have charge to court.
According to him, going by the provisions of INEC terms and conditions of service, all the 23 electoral officers indicted in the Rivers rerun election will be placed on half salary and will not report for duty pending the determination of their respective cases by the court.
He however, assured all Nigerians that the commission will remain fully committed to the sanctity of the electoral process and will never protect ay of its staff, no matter how highly place, found to have violated the provision of the Electoral Act and our guidelines.
“The Commission has also received a Report from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation, informing us that 23 Electoral Officers indicted over the investigation into the 10th December Rivers Re-run elections have been charged to court.
“The Commission has repeatedly said that it will cooperate with security agencies for the prosecution of any of our staff found to have violated the integrity of the electoral process.
“Accordingly, at our meeting today, the Commission decided to apply the provisions of the INEC Terms and Conditions of Service to all those charged to court, since it constitutes gross misconduct.
The penalty for this is interdiction. All the 23 Electoral Officers will be placed on half salary and will not report for duty pending the determination of their respective cases by the court”, Soyebi stated. On the 202 officials indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, INEC said it would for now defer disciplinary action on them.
“You would recall that last week, we informed you that a decision would be taken this week on the recommendation by the Disciplinary Committee on staff members indicted by the EFCC Report for misconduct during the 2015 General Elections.
However, in view of the fact that some of the staff are also among those being prosecuted by the DPP, the Commission has decided to defer its decision on the EFCC Report to enable us reconcile the EFCC/DPP reports.
“We wish to assure all Nigerians that the Commission will remain fully committed to the sanctity of the electoral process and will never protect any of its staff, no matter highly placed, found to have violated the provisions of the Electoral Act and our guidelines”, Soyebi added.
INEC said it would however continue its routine consultations with stakeholders, and has decided to hold the next regular quarterly meetings with political parties on March 14, Civil Society Organizations on March 15; the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) on March 17 and media organizations on March 21.
84 Political Associations seeking Registration as Parties
Soyebi also added that no fewer than 84 political associations are now seeking registration as political parties.
He disclosed that the Advanced Peoples Democratic Party APDP is one of such associations but decline to name its sponsors.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana with Agency Report