Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of the Niger Delta, Ahmad Lawan, the governor of Sokoto State, and others who took part in more than one primary run the danger of serving two years in prison under the Electoral Act of 2022.
Some politicians who ran for the presidency on their party’s behalf and lost later ran again on another ticket from their party.
On Channels TV, Mike Igini, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, warned that politicians face jail time by citing Section 115(D) of the Electoral Act of 2022.
Igini said, “A person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election [commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years].”
He added that when the electoral term “constituency” is used, it refers to each election, whether it is for the House of Representatives, the Senate, the governorship, or the state assembly.
Igini claims that any politician who disobeys the law faces a two-year prison sentence, and Section 115 (3) even declares that attempting to collect numerous forms is illegal.
He added, “Section 115 (D) of the 2022 Electoral Act stipulates that no person shall sign, obtain more than one form as a candidate for different elections.
“And the offence for that under subsection K, beyond the financial, he will go to two years’ imprisonment.
“Some people are claiming that they participated in one election, that they filled two forms; it’s ignorance of the law and it’s not an excuse.
“We are preventing them from being candidates for prison and they are calling our names everywhere.”
