The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that the Edo governorship election is scheduled for September 21, 2024, while the Ondo state election is set to take place on November 16, 2024.
According to INEC, the announcement is by Section 178 (2) of Nigeria’s Constitution (1999, as amended), which specifies that elections for these positions should be conducted no earlier than 150 days and no later than 30 days before the last officeholder’s tenure expires.
Similarly, Section 28(1) of the 2022 Electoral Act mandates that the Commission must release the Election Notice no later than 360 days before the election date.
The commission also stated that comprehensive election information will be available to the public through both the INEC website and its various social media platforms.
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In a statement issued on Tuesday signed by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, it was revealed that the governorships of Edo and Ondo states will reach their conclusion on November 11, 2024, and February 23, 2025, respectively.
The statement read in part,
- “The latest date for Election to the office of Governor, Edo State, is October 12, 2024, while that of Ondo State is January 24, 2025.
- “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution and the Electoral Act, the Commission issues the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Edo and Ondo State Governorship elections as follows:
- “The Edo governorship election will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
- “Party primaries will be held from February 1-24, 2024, while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal will start at 9.00 a.m. on March 4, 2024, and close at 6.00 p.m. on March 24, 2024.
- “The final list of candidates will be published on April 23, 2024, while the campaign in public by political parties commences on April 24, 2024, and ends 24 hours before election day on September 19, 2024.”
For Ondo state, the commission added the governorship election will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The statement continued:
- “Party primaries will be held from April 6-27, 2024 while the submission of the list of nominated candidates via the online portal will start at 9.00 a.m. on April 29, 2024, and close at 6.00 pm on May 20, 2024.
- “The final list of candidates will be published on June 18, 2024, while the campaign in public by political parties commences on June 19, 2024, and ends 24 hours before election day on November 14, 2024.”
