LG Elections: OGSIEC reduces age for contestants, extends Parties’ primaries by one week

…set to hold meeting with parties, stakeholders

The Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) has amended the age qualification for candidates in the forthcoming local government elections.

It reduced the minimum age from 30 to 25 years.

The amendment, according to a statement issued and signed by its Chairman, Babatunde Osibodu, follows a review of the laws governing the conduct of local government elections, bringing the guidelines in line with Section 7(4) & 106 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The law, he said, “stipulates that a candidate is qualified for election if he or she has attained the age of 25 years.”

Osibodu also said that the electoral body has extended the deadline for parties’ primaries by one week.

The statement reads: “The primaries, initially set to end on Monday, September 9, will now run until Monday, September 16, 2024. The collection of personal data forms (CF001 and CF002) by each political party has also been extended to Friday, September 20, 2024.

“Political parties that have already conducted their primaries may collect the necessary forms for each of their candidates starting from Tuesday, September 10, 2024, with submissions accepted between Monday, September 16, and Friday, September 20, 2024.”

“Additionally, a meeting with all political parties has been scheduled for Monday, September 9, 2024, at the Commission’s Headquarters in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, at 12 noon.

“Each political party intending to participate in the forthcoming elections is requested to send no more than two representatives each to the meeting for further discussions.

“All other schedules in the previously published election timetable remain unchanged, including the Chairmanship and Councillorship elections set to hold on November 16, 2023.”