2015: We Won’t Set Up Clearance Committees Over Candidates’ Documents — INEC

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, said unlike the previous elections, it would not empanel clearance committees to scrutinize records of candidates seeking various elective offices in this year’s general elections.

The development is a complete deviation from the 2007 and the 2011 general elections where the commission set up verification committees to clear or disqualify candidates from the elections, after submission of their lists by the political parties.

The commission, pursuant to the provisions of section 31 of the Electoral Act 2010, has the mandate of undertaking such exercises, shortly after it has commenced the publication of the personal particulars of candidates, otherwise known as Form CF 001 for the offices of President, Vice President, Governor, Deputy Governor, Members of the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) as well as the State Assemblies.

Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, told Vanguard in a telephone interview that the commission has no such arrangement in the forth coming elections.

“To the best of my knowledge, there is no such arrangement. I don’t have such information yet,” he said.