Ezekwesili: It’s too late for candidates to step down, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission says it is too late for any candidate to withdraw from elections.

The Director , Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze -Uzzi , said this during a chat with our correspondent on Thursday .

He said this while reacting to the withdrawal of the Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria , Mrs . Oby Ezekwesili, and a few others.

The INEC official said since it had released its final list of candidates last week , it had become too late for anybody to withdraw , adding that the logo of the parties would still appear on the ballot paper come February 16 .

Osaze – Uzzi said , “ According to the Electoral Act, there is a time for withdrawal and that time has passed . We have published a list of candidates and on election day, these are the parties that you will see . It is too late . ”

Ezekwesili, who is a former Minister of Education , had on Thursday announced her withdrawal from the Presidential election , insisting that she would rather form a coalition with like minds in order to win the election .

The Presidential candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria , Mr. Fela Durotoye, had also said that he would be willing to step down like Ezekwesili in order to form a coalition that could defeat the incumbent .