The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday gave an update on allowing the presidential candidate to substitute their running mate ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Bellnews Online had earlier reported that some presidential candidates submitted the name of a member of their political party as a placeholder to meet the deadline of INEC.
The likes of presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi of the Labour Party are yet to submit the name of their official running mate.
The INEC’s National Commissioner of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye while speaking on Arise TV on Monday said the running mates can only be substituted if only they write INEC, attaching an affidavit.
Okoye said, “The law says that as a presidential candidate, you must nominate an associate to run with you and as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission is concerned, the presidential candidates have submitted their associates to run with them in the presidential election.
“As far as we are concerned, there’s no form submitted by the presidential candidate where they said ‘we’re submitting this person’s name as a place or space holder’.
“The issue of space or place holder is a unique Nigerian invention that has no place in our constitutional and legal framework.
“For there to be a substitution of the candidate, the Vice presidential candidate must write to INEC, with an affidavit stating that he is withdrawing from the race within the time frame provided by the law.
That’s the only way there can be a substitution of candidates.”