Date: 2015-01-12

Registered voters eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming general elections are to ascertain their registration status with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from tomorrow when the official register would be displayed by the electoral body. The display is in sync with the requirement of Section 20 of the Electoral Act that asks INEC to publish the official register of voters, which the commission said stood at 70, 383, 427.

"The supplementary voters' list shall be integrated with voters' register and published not later than 30 days before a general election," says Section 20 of the Act.

INEC had last week informed Daily Trust that the publication of the register would include all Nigerians captured in the 2011 registration, those who collected their cards and those that did not. Also, the commission will release the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates after the withdrawals and replacements by political parties.

At the expiration of the December 30 deadline for any withdrawal and replacement by earlier nominated candidates, Daily Trust gathered that 10 political parties applied to the commission for withdrawal of certain candidates.

INEC said those on the candidates list would be printed in the ballot papers for the two elections scheduled to hold on February 14.

Furthermore, INEC will tomorrow close cases of withdrawals and replacements of the governorship and states Houses of Assembly candidates, 45 days to the scheduled February 28 elections as stipulated in Section 35 of the Electoral Act.

"A candidate may withdraw his candidature by notice in writing signed by him and delivered by himself to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal to the commission and which shall only be allowed not later than 45 days to the election," it said.