INEC Says ‘Final List’ Recognising Ahmad Lawan’s Rival Is Fake

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied releasing another “final list” of candidates taking part in the 2023 general election.

Several news mediums (not THE WHISTLER) had reported that the electoral umpire published another list which contains the names of some candidates excluded from a previous list published on the commission’s website.

The reports had claimed that Bashir Machina replaced the Senate President, Ahmed Lawam, as the candidate for the Yobe North Senatorial District.

But disowning the fresh list on Monday, INEC’s spokesman, Festus Okoye, said “there cannot be a final list of candidates with just 46 days to the General Election.”

He said, “The Commission wishes to state categorically that no new publication of the final list of candidates was released as reported. The public should therefore discountenance the story.

“For the record, the final list of candidates for the 2023 General Election was published at least 150 days before the day of election in compliance with the provision of Sec. 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022. Accordingly, the final list for Presidential and National Assembly elections was published on 20th September 2022 while that of Governorship and State Assembly elections was published two weeks later on 4th October 2022. These are clearly indicated as item 8 on the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election released by the Commission on 26th February 2022.

“There cannot be a final list of candidates with just 46 days to the General Election except for names published as substitutions for candidates nominated earlier in compliance with Court Order. Moreover, some of the candidates that allegedly made the new “final” list are still in Court and the matter is therefore subjudice. Political parties, litigants and the public should be guided accordingly.”

THE WHISTLER reported that INEC had published the names of 18 presidential and 4,223 National Assembly candidates in the final list it published on September 20, 2022.