INEC bows to pressure, lifts ban on political campaigns

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reopened political campaigns for the 2019 elections.

This was contained in a statement by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the commission’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye.

According to the statement, INEC opted to reopen the campaigns after consultations with political parties.

The campaigns are expected to end “by midnight of Thursday, 21st February 2019”.

This comes just over 48 hours after the commission told political stakeholders that campaigns would remain closed despite the postponement of the general elections.

Read also: POLLS SHIFT: PDP, APC fault INEC, set to resume campaigns

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had said this in Abuja on Saturday during his meeting with political parties and other stakeholders after the elections were pushed back by a week.

Political parties had pushed back on the decision, with both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party separately insisting they would resume campaigns against INEC’s position.

Copy of INEC’s statement is as follows:

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