INEC FIXED FEBRUARY 16,2019 FOR PRESIDENTIAL & NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS.

                           The Independent National Electoral Commission {INEC} has fixed February 16,2019 for Presidential and National Assembly elections.Similarly,Governorship,State Assembly and Federal Capital Territory Area  Councils polls will hold on March 2,2019.Mr Solomon Soyebi,National Commissioner of the commission in charge of publicity,made this known today thursday in Abuja at a news conference.He said that fixing of the dates was part of efforts by INEC to standardise and ensure certainty of timetable for general elections in the country.Soyebi gave instances that in the US general elections in the country.Soyebi gave instances that in the US,general elections always held on the second tuesday of November in the second year.And,in Ghana,according to him,it is December 7 of election year,while in other places like Mexico,Norway,Sweden,Costa Rica and Switzerland,the dates are also known in advance.''In Nigeria,the Constitution provides for the elections to hold not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days to the end of the incumbent's tenure.In order to ensure certainty in our dates for elections,and to allow proper planning by the commission,it has fixed date for national elections for the third saturday in February of the election year.This will be followed by the state elections two weeks later.Political parties,security agencies,candidates and all stakeholders are advised to note the dates,'' Soyebi said.He explained that the dates were the nearest to 100 days towards the end of the tenures of the incumbents.He added that for states with staggered elections,the dates for their elections would also be determined by the expiration of tenures of the incumbents.