While politicians have warming up to slug it out at the polls in 2019, both for the presidential and National Assembly, NASS, slots, they have nevertheless been wary of likely variation or outright change of the election time table. But the uncertainties have now been cleared with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, fixing February 16 2019 for the Presidential and NASS elections.
The Commission announced that the Governorship/State Assembly/Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections will hold on March 2nd in the same year.
“In order 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, the Commission has decided to fix the date for the National Elections for the third Saturday in February of the election year, followed by State elections two weeks later. To that extent, the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, 16th February 2019, while the Governorship/State Assembly/Federal Capital Territory Area Council Elections will hold on Saturday 2nd March 2019,” the commission stated in Abuja during an interactive session with journalists.
The Commission also disclosed that it has 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.”