The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will only accept credible candidates for the October 31 concurrent legislative by-elections scheduled to be conducted across eight states.
The chairman of the party’s Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni announced the decision on Wednesday night while inaugurating the Screening and Appeal Committees for the by-elections at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Buni, who spoke through the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator John James Akpanudoedeghe, said the committees were saddled with screening all the party’s candidates for the federal and state legislative by-elections.
Prof. Stephen Ocheni, who spoke on behalf of members of the various committees, assured that the Screening and Appeal committees would discharge their assignments with fairness and a sense of responsibility.
The party’s schedule of activities for the federal and state legislative by-elections shows that the screening of aspirants was held on Wednesday and yesterday, while the publication of claims and objections will hold today.
The Screening Appeal will hold on September 1, 2020; the primary election on September 3, 2020, and the Election Appeal is for September 5, 2020.
Also, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed October 31, 2020 for the conduct of the by-election for Bakori State Constituency into the Katsina State House of Assembly.
The Nation confirmed the date in a notice pasted on the notice board of INEC’s Katsina State office.
The notice, which was signed by INEC’s Public Affairs Officer, Mallam Buhari Abashe, requested the parties participating in the by-election to hold their primaries from August 27 to September 8, 2020.
The list of nominated candidates for the by-election is expected to be displayed on September 17, while campaigns will end on August 29, 2020.
There will also be a stakeholders’ meeting on the by-election on September 14, 2020.
Also, INEC said it will meet with traditional rulers and religious leaders in Plateau State to ensure the conduct of a free, fair and credible senatorial by-election in the southern district of the state.
The state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Husseini Halilu Pai, announced this yesterday in Jos, the state capital, at a stakeholders’ meeting.
He said INEC was ready to conduct the Plateau South senatorial by-election in six local government areas, namely: Shendam, Qua’anpan, Wase, Lantang North, Lantang South and Mikang.
According to him, the six local government areas have 68 registration centres, 712 polling units and 671,209 registered voters.
He warned the 19 political parties that will participate in the by-election to educate their supporters, especially hoodlums, who might want to cause trouble during and after the by-election as security agents will not condone any act of lawlessness.