Peter Obi’s marketing campaign DG, Osuntokun, stays senatorial candidate of one other social gathering – INEC

Nigeria’s electoral fee, INEC, has insisted that the not too long ago appointed Labour Celebration (LP) presidential marketing campaign Director-Common (DG), Akin Osuntokun, stays the senatorial candidate for Ekiti Central Senatorial Zone underneath one other political social gathering; the Zenith Labour Celebration (ZLP).

Mr Osuntokun was appointed the director-general of Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed’s marketing campaign following the resignation of the previous DG, Doyin Okupe.

Mr Okupe resigned after he was convicted for breaching the Cash Laundering Act by a Federal Excessive Courtroom in Abuja.

Mr Osuntokun said, in an interview with Channels Tv on Wednesday, that he had deserted his senatorial ambition underneath ZLP to take up Peter Obi’s marketing campaign DG put up.

However the electoral fee stated neither Mr Osuntokun nor his social gathering can withdraw his candidacy.

INEC’s Commissioner for Data and Voter Training, Festus Okoye, instructed PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Osuntokun stays ZIP’s Ekiti Central Senatorial candidate.

READ ALSO: Okupe withdraws as Peter Obi’s operating mate

Mr Okoye stated no particular person or political social gathering can at this level withdraw, submit or substitute the title of any candidate participating within the 2023 basic elections.

For INEC to amend the names of candidates already submitted at this level, he stated, it should be by the order of a court docket of legislation.

“The legislation could be very clear,” he stated in a phone interview on Thursday. “The interval for substitution and the interval for withdrawal in our (INEC) timetable and schedule of actions in addition to within the electoral act, has elapsed.”

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He added that the legality or in any other case of Mr Osuntokun’s appointment as LP’s presidential marketing campaign DG will not be inside INEC’s purview however the inside construction of the political events.

Each LP’s Spokesperson, Yinusa Tanko, and ZLP’s social gathering chief, Dan Nwanyanwu, didn’t reply to our reporter’s calls and textual content message requests for remark.