Presidential
and parliamentary elections will be held on Feb. 16, 2019, marking the
end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term. 

Buhari has not said if
he will seek re-election. 

In addition to
outlining the deadline to select candidates, the timetable published by
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated that
official campaigns for the presidential parliamentary elections would
begin on Nov. 18. 

“The Commission wishes to
assure Nigerians that we are determined to strictly adhere to the
timetable and schedule of activities,” INEC said in a statement. 

Buhari,
75, took office in May 2015 after winning elections that year following
a campaign in which he vowed to crack down on endemic corruption and
crush the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in the northeast. 

Although
the president has not said whether he will run in the next election,
the minister of communications last week said he would chair a group to
support the re-election of Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. 

It
is common practice for the campaign to re-elect a Nigerian president to
begin with such support groups before the incumbent declares an
intention to run again. 

Atiku Abubakar, a
former vice president and key Buhari ally, quit the ruling All
Progressives Congress and said he was prepared to run in 2019. He joined
the opposition People’s Democratic Party last month. (Reuters)