The Independent National Electoral Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State, Anugbum Onuoha, has issued a stern warning to candidates and political parties in the state to immediately halt their campaigns for the forthcoming governorship election or face sanctions.
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In his statement on Monday in Benin, the REC emphasized that the commission had not lifted its suspension on campaign activities, adding that parties and candidates were expected to start campaigning on April 24th.
Onuoha also mentioned that political parties are not allowed to publicly campaign for the primary election as it is an internal affair.
He urged all political parties and candidates to take down billboards, signposts, as well as advertisements on television and newspapers.
The warning comes in the wake of increasing campaign activities by political parties and aspirants in the state, with some already erecting billboards and posters in different parts of the state.
The commission has vowed to enforce the rules guiding the election and ensure that all parties and candidates adhere to them.
The REC said, “I am calling on the aspirants and the 16 political parties taking part in the September 21 election to comply with the timetable of the election.
“They are not supposed to campaign publicly for the primary election. It is against the law.
“I will urge them to pull down their banners, billboard and stop running jingles on radio.
“If they do not comply with this directive, we would have no other option than to sanction them.”
Onuoha clarified that his role was to prepare a report for the commission’s headquarters and not to announce primary election results, as it is an internal affair.
“We were present at the APC primary election. We saw what happened and we will present our report to Abuja,” he said.
