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Rules set for presidential election

The next president of Nigeria must be a Nigerian citizen aged 40 or over and educated to at least School Certificate level. The rules for the presidential elections were announced yesterday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The candidate must also be a member of one of Nigeria’s three registered political parties, sponsored by that party and must pay the agency a non-refundable fee of 100,000 naira (around US $1,200), the rules said. The three eligible parties are the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All People’s Party (APP) and Alliance for Democracy (AD). The Secretary of INEC, Adamu Bawa Mu’azu, told IRIN today he believed leaders of the three political parties were satisfied with the guidelines.

Meanwhile, state and governorship elections in Bayelsa state will now take place on 30 January, AFP reported yesterday, quoting the head of INEC. The elections were suspended earlier this month due to civil unrest in the state.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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