From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has described the term “placeholder“ as an illegal contraption by politicians to attempt to subvert the electoral process in Nigeria.
“There is no place in the law where you submit someone’s name and direct INEC to wait until you are ready to replace the person and that’s why INEC does not recognise the word, placeholder,” the Katsina State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Jibril Zarewa, told reporters on Monday at a media forum.
According to him, “you know that in Nigeria, people come up with different expressions but what we know is that the law provides an opportunity for political parties to change their candidates following prescribed conditions.
“The INEC can close submission of names of candidates for election but the law provides that you can withdraw your candidature if you so desire and you have to write a letter to that effect to your political party.
“The political party takes the letter to INEC and if INEC wishes, will direct the political party to hold another primary. “Placeholder is not in our law.
“That placeholder expression which politicians use in the media is ‘wayo’ because there is no place in the law for a placeholder.“
“The political party has to go through a process of another primary to elect a candidate who will replace the earlier one submitted. We don’t have a placeholder in the law.
“We have two cases from Dutsi and Mashi in Katsina State for the House of Representatives.”
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Zarewa said that there were a total of 3,230,230 registered voters for Katsina State as of 2019 noting that the ongoing voter registration exercise was designed to enable persons who have attained the age of 18 years to register as well as for information updates including registered voters who relocated to the area.
He said that “INEC will take all necessary measures, as stipulated in the Electoral Act, to ensure that no eligible registered voters are disenfranchised.
“The Commission will take the voting process to IDP camps to give opportunity for displaced persons to vote during the 2023 general elections.“