Posted by Anugbum Onuoha, the Edo State resident electoral commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, has issued a warning to candidates and political parties regarding the consequences of continuing their gubernatorial campaign beyond the deadline.
The REC stated in his announcement on Monday in Benin that parties and candidates were anticipated to start their campaigns on April 24 and that the commission had not relaxed the campaign ban.
He stated that since the primary election is an internal matter, political parties were not expected to publicly campaign for it.
He called on all political parties and candidates to take down advertisements on television and newspapers, as well as billboards and signposts.
“I am urging the candidates and the sixteen political parties participating in the election on September 21 to adhere to the election schedule,” the REC declared.
They are not allowed to publicly campaign in the primaries. It is illegal.
“I’ll tell them to take down their billboards, banners, and radio jingles.
“We would have no choice but to sanction them if they do not follow this directive.”
Onuoha continued, saying that since the primary election is an internal matter, his responsibility is to draft a report and send it to the commission’s headquarters rather than to declare the results.
“We watched the APC primary in person. We observed what transpired, and we’ll give Abuja our report,” he declared.