Posted by The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set dates for governorship elections in the states of Edo and Ondo in 2024.
Edo State’s governorship election will be held on September 21, 2024, while Ondo State’s will be held on November 16, 2024.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, stated in a statement issued Tuesday that the incumbent governors of Edo and Ondo states’ terms will expire on November 11, 2024, and February 23, 2025, respectively.
According to the Commission, elections for the aforementioned posts must take place no earlier than 150 days and no later than 30 days before the expiration of the tenure of the previous holder.
“The latest date for election to the office of Governor, Edo State, is 12th October 2024, while that of Ondo State is 24th January 2025,” Olumekun stated. Similarly, Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act of 2022 requires the Commission to publish the Notice for Election no later than 360 days before the election date.
“The governorship election will hold on Saturday 21st September 2024.”
Party primaries will take place from the 1st to the 24th of February 2024, according to the timetable and schedule of activities for the Edo State governorship elections, while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal will begin at 9.00am on the 4th of March 2024 and close at 6.00pm on the 24th of March 2024.
The Commission stated that the final list of candidates will be published on April 23, 2024, and that public campaigning by political parties will begin on April 24, 2024 and stop 24 hours before election day on September 19, 2024.
He stated that party primaries in Ondo State will take place from April 6th to April 27th, 2024, and that the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the internet portal will begin at 9.00am on April 29th, 2024, and finish at 6.00pm on May 20th, 2024.
The national commissioner also stated that the final list of candidates will be published on June 18, 2024, and that public campaigning by political parties will begin on June 19, 2024, and stop 24 hours before election day on November 14, 2024.
The Commission announced that a complete timeline and Schedule of Activities for the two elections has been posted to its website and social media platforms.
The Commission urged political parties and candidates to take note of the activities on the calendar in order to ensure full compliance.