The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would publish the final list of candidates for presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives seats on September 20 ahead of the 2023 general election.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this in Abuja on Thursday at the ‘Expert Meeting on Conducting Nigeria’s 2023 General Election in Volatile Security Environment’.

The event was organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in conjunction with INEC.

Yakubu said the publication of the final list was in line with Section 32(1) of the 2022 Electoral Act, and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities released by the commission.

“This will be followed on October 4 by the publication of the final list of candidates for state elections (Governorship and State Houses of Assembly).

“Campaign in public by political parties will officially commence on September 28 as provided for by Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

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“As campaigns commence, we appeal to all political parties and candidates to focus on issue-based campaigns.

“This is the best way to complement our efforts to ensure transparent elections in which only the votes cast by citizens determine the winner,” the INEC boss said.

Yakubu added that activities for the 2023 general election would enter critical stages this month from the next 19 days onward.

“The commission welcomes this initiative and as Co-Chairman of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), there is no doubt that the security agencies also welcome ideas and citizens’ support towards peaceful elections,” he stated.

Also speaking at the event, the CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, said the meeting was being held against the background of security challenges plaguing the country.

Hassan said the idea was to start talking about how to de-escalate the tension and how to secure the environment, such that INEC would be able to assess all parts of the country to conduct a peaceful and legitimate election in 2023.

The Star