Governorship Race: INEC Fixes Date for Edo, Ondo Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the Edo governorship election on September 21, 2024, while that of Ondo state will be held on November 16, 2024.

National Commissioner and Chairman, the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun disclosed this in a statement Tuesday in Abuja.

He said that the declaration of election dates is in accordance with Section 178 (2) of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). According to this provision, elections for these offices must be conducted within a period of 150 days to 30 days before the expiration of the current office holder’s tenure.

Also, in compliance with Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC is obligated to publish the Election Notice no later than 360 days before the election date.

According to the declaration, “The latest date for Election to the office of Governor, Edo State, is October 12, 2024, while that of Ondo State is January 24, 2025.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution and the Electoral Act, the Commission issues the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Edo and Ondo State Governorship elections as follows:

“The Edo governorship election will hold on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

“Party primaries will hold from February 1-24, 2024 while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal will start at 9.00 a.m. on March 4, 2024, and close at 6.00 p.m. on March 24, 2024.

“The final list of candidates will be published on April 23, 2024, while the campaign in public by political parties commences on April 24, 2024, and ends 24 hours prior to election day on September 19, 2024.

For Ondo state, the commission stated, “The governorship election will hold on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

“Party primaries will hold from April 6-27, 2024 while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal will start at 9.00 am on April 29, 2024, and close at 6.00 pm on May 20, 2024.

“The final list of candidates will be published on June 18, 2024, while the campaign in public by political parties commences on June 19, 2024, and ends 24 hours prior to election day on November 14, 2024.”

The tenure of the Governor of Edo State will end November 11, 2024 while that of the Ondo state Governor ends February 23, 2025.