•Sulaimon Argungu (right) and Umar Bature
The All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have released timetables and schedules of activities for the February 3, 2024 bye-elections.
The APC bye-election timetable was released yesterday. It was signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaimon Argungu, reports Vanguard.
According to APC, the sale of nominations, expressions of interest, and delegates forms for contestants into Senatorial, House of Representatives, and State Assembly seats will begin on December 27, 2023. The sales end on January 2, 2024. The party’s primary elections are slated for January 6, 2024.
APC’s expression of interest and nomination forms for the Senate, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly are N20 million, N10 million and N2 million respectively.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, fixed February 3, 2024, for the conduct of bye-elections. The bye-elections resulted from the resignation or demise of members of the national and state houses of assembly.
Explaining, INEC stated that the vacancies occurred across two senatorial districts, four federal constituencies, and three state constituencies. And they span across nine states of the federation. Read the full INEC bye-elections story HERE.
PDP
However, for the PDP, the bye-elections timetable was released today by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature.
Also, it covered the schedule of activities for the contestants in the senatorial, House of Representatives, and state assembly seats ahead of the February 3 bye-elections.
According to PDP, the sale of nominations, expressions of interest and delegate forms will begin on December 28, 2023. The sale will end on January 3, 2024.
The party’s primaries are scheduled to be held on January 9, 2024.
The PDP said the price for expression of interest and nomination forms for the Senate, House of Representatives, and state House of Assembly is N3.5m, N2.5m and N600,000 respectively.
Concessions for youth, females, people living with disabilities
Meanwhile, both parties made concessions for youths and people living with disabilities.
For APC, female aspirants and persons living with disabilities are to pay for only the expression of interest. For these persons, the bye-election nomination form is free.
Also, APC “Youths from 25 to 40 years are to purchase expression of interest forms.”
But there is “a 50% discount on nomination forms.”
For the opposition PDP, it was the same.
Again, the party said female aspirants and persons living with disabilities are to pay for nomination forms only.
Furthermore, youths below 40 years are to purchase expression of interest forms with a 50% discount on nomination forms.
