INEC publishes list of governorship candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday published the final list of nominated candidates for governorship and state houses of assembly elections. Daily Trust reports that the governorship and state houses of assembly elections would be held on March 11, 2023, according to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections released […]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday published the final list of nominated candidates for governorship and state houses of assembly elections.

Daily Trust reports that the governorship and state houses of assembly elections would be held on March 11, 2023, according to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections released by INEC.

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The list, our correspondents report, was posted at the headquarters of the electoral body in states.

 Sharada, Wali, others make list in Kano

The governorship candidates of Action Democratic Party (ADP) and PDP, Sha’aban Sharada and Sadiq Aminu Wali, made it to the final list published by INEC but Engineer Bashir I. Bashir, candidate of Labour Party did not make it.

While ADP and PDP still have ongoing litigation over their primaries, the name of the erstwhile LP candidate, Mohammed Raji Abdullahi, was retained on the list.

Daily Trust reported that PDP in Kano is suffering from an unresolved crisis with two camps at loggerheads. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna was listed as APC candidate.

Similarly, for Young Progressive Party (YPP), Yakubu Uba Muhammad, who hitherto was known as the party’s governorship candidate has now become the party’s deputy governorship candidate, while 36-year-old Ahmed Isa Muhammed is now the governorship candidate of the party and the youngest candidate in Kano.

Rhodes-Vivour listed as Lagos LP candidate

No fewer than 16 parties are contesting the governorship election in Lagos.

The list pasted at the INEC in Lagos, had Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate.

Controversy had initially dogged his emergence as the governorship candidate of the state as “the suspended chairman” of the party, Mr. Ifagbemi Awamaridi, claimed he was the party’s authentic.

Awamaridi had dragged LP and INEC to court to seek an injunction restraining the defendants from replacing him as the governorship candidate.

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, 39, was listed among 15 other governorship candidates with the INEC publication indicating that he is contesting with First School Leaving Certificate and a degree. He is the youngest among them. His running mate is Oyefusi Abiodun Adetola.

The incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu,  57, is the governorship candidate of APC, contesting with First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), BSc. and MBA while his running mate is Dr Obafemi Hamzat, also aged 57 and contesting with Primary School certificate, WASC, BSc., MSc. and a PhD.

The candidate of PDP, Adediran Azeez Olajide, 44, presented FSLC, WASSC and Masters of Business Administration (MBA) certificates, while his running mate, Akindele Ayotunde Olufunke also aged 44, presented FSLC and WASSC.

Other parties contesting for the governorship of the state include Accord Party with Dickson Hakeem Olaogun as candidate; AA, Balogun Tope Abdulrazaq; AAC, Olayiwola Hakeem Olajide; ADC, Doherty Olufunsho Adeshina; ADP, Bamidele Ishola; APM, Kupoliyi Funmilayo; APP, Adeyemi Abiola Roseline; BP, Oluwo Olawale Wasiu; NNPP. Jim-Kamal Olanrewaju Olalekan; NRM, Braithwaite Akinwumi Ishola; SDP, Uthman Olakunle Taofeek; YPP, Ajayi Wasiu Adebayo; and ZLP, Adenipebi Mode Adekunle as candidate.

PDP, LP missing, as Abiodun, others make INEC’s final list

PDP and LP have no governorship candidates in Ogun State as INEC released the names of 13 political parties and their candidates in the list it published yesterday.

In the list obtained by the Daily Trust, PDP appeared at number 21, but the names of both the governorship candidate and the running mate were missing.

The commission cited “court order” as the reason for the omission on the final list.

On Tuesday, a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, decided a suit filed by the three members of PDP, and nullified all the primaries conducted by the party in the state.

For LP, neither the party nor its candidate appeared on the INEC list.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Niyi Iyalaje, told our correspondent that the list pasted was what the INEC headquarters in Abuja, approved.

For APC, Governor Dapo Abiodun made the list as the party’s candidate.

Also on the list were Biyi Otegbeye as candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC),  and Oguntoyinbo Femi Ajadi for New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), among others.

In Rivers State, INEC cleared 16 governorship candidates. Prominent among those cleared are Similanayi Fubara of PDP, Pastor Tonye Cole of APC, Senator Magnus Abe of SDP, Dumo Lulu-Briggs of Accord Party and Dr Dawari George of African Alliance, AA.

Other political parties whose governorship candidates were cleared for the election are ZLP, ADC, AAC, APGA, APP, BP, NNPP, NRM, YPP, ZLP.

Daily Trust reports that 24 political parties fielded candidates for the governorship polls in Plateau State.

The final INEC governorship list in Kwara has 14 candidates with Mrs Jaiyeola Motunrayo Deborah, 41, of APM the only female among them.

While the candidate of NNPP, Prof Abdulraheem Shuaib Oba, 74, is the oldest, 35-year-old Abubakar Basambo Kabir of Labour Party will be the youngest in the governorship race next year.

In Ebonyi, 13 governorship candidates, including their running mates were yesterday published by INEC to feature in the forthcoming elections in the state. The youngest among them is Mr Nwonomara Nyiba of Action Democratic Congress (ADC) who has declared 35 years. He was followed by Chinyere Judith, 37.

In Akwa Ibom, APC has no candidate, apparently due to ongoing litigation. However, 17 other governorship candidates, including Pastor Umo Eno of PDP, Senator Bassey Albert of YPP, and John AkpanUdoedehe of NNPP, were listed as candidates in the elections.

The list was not published in Benue and Zamfara states at the time this story was filed.

By Abiodun Alade & Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos), Peter Moses (Abeokuta), Victor Edozie (Port Harcourt), Salim Umar Ibrahim (Kano), Hope Abah Emmanuel (Makurdi), Ado Abubakar Musa (Jos), Nabob Ogbonna (Abakaliki), Mumini AbdulKareem(Ilorin) & Iniabasi Umo (Uyo)