FOR collecting two nomination forms for two separate offices, in the same election circle, the former governor of Edo State and sacked, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, risk two years in jail.
This fact was made known by Mr. Mike Iginni, Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Akwa Ibom State, raised the alarm recently.
He stated this last Tuesday, July 19, 2022 during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Iginni revealed that, it is an offence under the Electoral Act 2022 for politicians to obtain multiple nomination forms.
According to Section 115 (D) of the Act, a person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years.
Clarifying the provisions of the law, the REC said “constituency” as stipulated in the legal document refers to separate elections whether it is Presidential, Governorship, Senatorial, the House of Representatives, or that of the State Assembly.
“Section 115 (D) of the 2022 Electoral Act stipulates that no person shall sign, obtain more than one form as a candidate for different elections,” Iginni stressed.
“And the offence for that under subsection K, beyond the financial, he will go two years’ imprisonment. Some people are claiming that they participated in one election, that they filled two forms; it’s ignorance of the law and it’s not an excuse.
“There are many candidates that have done this. INEC can only point you in that direction; that’s what we can do,” he added.
“People walk their way to prison when they say that they bought two forms; Section 115 (D) prohibits that. In fact, subsection 3 of 115 says that even that attempt itself will be treated as the offence.”
It will be recalled that Oshiomhole, the APC Senatorial Candidate for Edo North Constituency, had announced to Nigerians that he obtained his party’s presidential ticket and followed up with a formal declaration that was widely publicized.
The highly controversial politician subsequently jettisoned his presidential interest and fell back to the Senatorial form that he earlier picked before his presidential declaration.
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