Finally, the campaign for next year’s general elections kick off across the country today.
According to the timetable by of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), campaign for only national elections – presidential and National Assembly – are legitimate now, which that for governorship and State assembly elections commence in a fortnight.
Presidential and National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) elections hold on 25th February 2023, while the governorship and state assembly polls take place 11th March.
INEC cleared 18 political parties to contest the presidential election, 1,100 for the 109 Senate seats and 3,126 candidates for the House of Assembly.
But the leading presidential candidates (in the order of the parties) are Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
While the ruling APC is yet to put its house in order following protests over the presidential campaign council, the PDP will inaugurate its own council in Abuja today to formally kick off the five-month campaign at the International Conference Centre.
The party said it would go on with its campaign programmes despite the withdrawal of Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and other political heavyweights from the council, despite fresh moves by former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki to pacify aggrieved group.
Expected at the ceremony are governors elected on the platform of the party, former presidents and vice presidents, ex-ministers, serving and erstwhile senators as well as incumbent and former house of representatives members.
Like APC, LP has also postponed its campaign kick off as Obi and the party are yet to constitute the campaign council following his consultations across the country.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Abayomi Arabambi however said that the party has no plan to host any inauguration. Rather, the candidate would unveil his policy document on the same day he announces his presidential campaign council.
Arabambi said: “Our candidate is focusing on sorting out the composition of his presidential campaign council and the nationwide consultation he is conducting”.
LP’s National Chairman, Comrade Julius Abure however issued a statement that the party was ready to commence campaigns in full compliance with electoral guidelines.
The party commended INEC on its position on incumbent political office-holders “who use the power of incumbency to deny opposition parties access to public facilities for campaigns”, an action which the Commission said was illegal and would attract sanctions as spelt out in the Electoral Act, 2022.
Abure further said: “The position of INEC is germane with the recent attacks on the supporters of Labour Party candidates across the nation particularly in Ebonyi, Enugu, Katsina and Kaduna amongst others.
“It is a fact that the popularity and influence of Labour Party recently have been astonishing wherein it has witnessed exponential and geometric growth across the states”.
