The All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have fixed dates for primaries to pick candidates ahead of the October 2020 gubernatorial poll in Ondo State.
The date for the primaries was contained in a schedule of activities released by both political parties on Wednesday in Akure, the state capital.
The APC will hold its primary election on July 20, 2020, according to its schedule signed by Mr. Emma Ebediro, the Organising Secretary of the party.
The PDP will hold its own primary election two days after, July 22, 2020, according to the notice signed by Austine Akobundu, National Organising Secretary of the party.
In the APC, at least over 10 aspirants have showed interest to contest the ticket of the party including the incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
However, the party noted that interested aspirants would have to pay the sum of N22.5m for the expression of interest and nomination forms at its National Secretariat in Abuja.
Also, no fewer than eight aspirants are jostling for the governorship ticket of the PDP ahead of the gubernatorial election in the state.
The opposition party however, stated in its schedule that the last day for the submission of names for the governorship candidate and deputy to the electoral body would be July 28.
It also disclosed that the last day for withdrawal and replacement of withdrawn candidate (s) by the National Working Committee would be August 18.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had fixed October 10, 2020 for the governorship election in the state, noting that there was no going back despite the Coronavirus outbreak.
Festus Okoye, Head of Information and Voter Education of INEC, had disclosed in an exclusive interview with SaharaReporters that primaries, campaigns including the accreditation of journalists would be done online.
He said the idea was part of measures by the electoral body to ensure all guidelines set by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control was adhered to during the election period.
