Christopher Isiguzo and Gideon Arinze in Enugu The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it has withdrawn 25 certificates of return issued to some candidates who participated in the 2019 general election. Speaking yesterday at a ‘Forum on Media Coverage of 2019 General Election,’ held in Enugu, INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, said the commission took the action based on court orders. Okoye said 20 of the 25 certificates were withdrawn from members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and given to other APC members while two were withdrawn from members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and issued to other PDP members. He said the other three were withdrawn from both the APC and PDP and given to other political parties. “Before we left INEC national headquarters on Friday, the commission has withdrawn 25 certificates of return from the first owners to their new owners following court orders to do that,” he said. Okoye lauded the media for its openness and “robust engagement” with the commission before, during and after the election, adding that the media had become critical stakeholders for the success of future elections. He said the media had become the first line of reach of the masses as well as a platform for the explanation of INEC’s political and electoral decisions. Okoye called on the media and its practitioners to dig deep into the Electoral Act to ensure that the import of the recently amended sections is made known to the public.
