Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) has announced its plans to conduct elections in the 16 local governments and 22 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state. The Chairman of the Commission, Justice Cornelius Akintayo, shared the details during a press conference held on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti to highlight the commission’s activities leading up to the exercise.
Justice Akintayo, accompanied by other members of the Commission, confirmed that elections for 177 councillors will also take place. He revealed that the Ward Congresses to elect chairmanship and councillorship candidates, conducted by political parties, will be held on Saturday, 7th of October 2023. The collection and submission of nomination forms by the participating political parties will take place from the 12th to the 18th of October 2023.
From the 6th to the 10th of November, the qualified and unqualified candidates’ lists will be submitted to political parties, along with the opportunity for parties to replace candidates as necessary. Notably, the publication of the names of electoral officers nominated by political parties and the issuance of the notice of polls are scheduled for the 20th of November 2023.
Furthermore, the notice of the withdrawal of candidates by political parties and the closing of electioneering campaigns will take place on the 24th and 29th of November respectively. Emphasizing the Commission’s commitment to conducting a free and credible election, Justice Akintayo expressed the readiness of his leadership team to embark on an aggressive awareness and mobilization campaign to engage voters effectively. He also assured that all registered political parties in the country will be fully involved in the exercise.