- As legal tussles keep 14 APC, PDP, LP candidates guessing
BY EDMOND ODOK AND SEGUN ADEBAYO – In keeping with its timelines for the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday released the final list of candidates for various elective positions.
According to the documents published by the Electoral umpire, conspicuously missing from the list are names of governorship candidates with pending court cases in their respective states as well as others currently faced with intra-party crises.
Already, the development is generating anxiety and tension among the affected candidates, the political parties, and members as their fate currently hangs in the balance just a few months before the election.
The INEC final list of candidates indicates the contest for governorship and Houses of assembly election will hold in 28 states of the federation even as a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said 18 political parties fielded 837 candidates and their running mates for the 28 governorship elections.
For now, no fewer than 14 candidates in 12 states have been given a cold shoulder by INEC on account of controversies that dogged the parties’ primaries with ongoing legal tussles in Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Rivers, Ogun, and four other states highlighting the crises.
With Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Osun states no longer part of the general elections circle due to court rulings that quashed their governorship elections on different occasions, those cleared for the 2023 gubernatorial contest include Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of Delta State and 833 others.
In Delta State, Omo-Agege of APC would have a date with the State House of Assembly Speaker, Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Great Ogboru of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Kenneth Gbagi of Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Also cleared for the Delta governorship race are former Minister of State for Education; Agbi Goodnews Goodman of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Ogba Emmanuel Samuel of Action Democratic Party (ADP); Ekure Efeoghene Shedrack of African Democratic Congress (ADC); Gwede Jerkins Giane of AA; and America Emmanuel of NRM.
In Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde, who is part of Governor Nyesom Wike-led PDP governors at loggerheads with the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, will have his hands full battling flag bearers from 15 other parties during the March 11, 2023, gubernatorial poll in the South West state.
However, the Oyo State Chief Executive, seeking a second term on the PDP’s platform has two opponents less to worry about as close scrutiny of the INEC’s list indicates that the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) have no candidates for the state governorship election.
Prominent among those bent on sacking Makinde from the Oyo State Government House include Teslim Folarin of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajekiigbe Lateef of Action Alliance (AA), Adebayo Adelabu of the Accord Party, Akinwale Tawfiq of Labour Party (LP) and Popoola Olukayode of the NNPP
Others are Okedara Mojeed of African Action Congress (AAC); Ajadi Bamidele of ADC; Yusuf Akim of ADP; Adeshina Adewale of APGA; Adeniran Adeyemi of Allied Peoples Movement (APM); and Yinusa Kazeem of Action Peoples Party (APP).
According to the INEC’s final list, also making the roll call of governorship standard-bearers, are Okunade Tunde of Boot Party; Adegboyega Raymond of National Rescue Movement (NRM); Micheal Lana of SDP, and Euba Aduragbemi of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
In Ogun State, supporters of Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu, the factional governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are still smarting from INEC’s exclusion of their candidate’s name from the published list.
Last week, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja delivered a judgment in a suit filed by three members of the PDP in Ogun State challenging the ad hoc delegates’ list used in the conduct of all primaries by the party in Ogun State.
The plaintiffs, in the suit seeking to disqualify Adebutu from the 2023 gubernatorial race, are Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala, and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuru.
In all, 12 out of the 13 registered political parties in Ogun State make the INEC final list of those whose governorship flag bearers and their running mates will slug it out at the polls next year.
With things still hazy for the main opposition PDP due to its internal wranglings and pending court case, those leading the charge to stop the incumbent and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Dapo Abiodun are Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Omosanya Monsuru of Accord Party; Adeyemi Olufemi (Action Alliance); Harrison Adeyemi of AAC; and Sokunbi Olanrewaju of ADP.
Others also lining up for a shot at the Government House include Jolaoluwa Emmanuel (APM); Falana Omoshile (APP); Oguntoyinbo Ajadi (NNPP); Ogunronmbi Oludayo National Rescue Movement (NRM); Bamgbose Olufemi of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Ojesina Anthony of Social Democratic Party (SDP).
In Taraba state, despite pending court cases against some of the governorship candidates in different political parties, INEC has published the names of their candidates as the authentic ones.
In Jigawa State, INEC cleared governorship candidates of 11 registered political parties to participate in the 2023 election. The list includes the Deputy Governor, who is the APC governorship candidate, Malam Umar Namadi; Alhaji Mustapha Sule Lamido of PDP and Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu Ringim of NNPP.
Ebonyi State has the Speaker, State House of Assembly, Honourable Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, and businessman cum philanthropist, Chief Ifeanyichukwuma Odii emerging as the authentic candidates for APC and PDP respectively.
Other gubernatorial flag bearers in Ebonyi include Opoke Sunday for YPP, Usulor Anthony for NRM and Chukwuma Nwandugo for AA, and others.
In Kwara State, the INEC-released list indicates that the 14 political parties contesting the general election in the state are the ZLP, AA, APC, NNPP, PDP, AAC, ADC, ADP, APM, APP, LP, PRP, SDP, and the YPP.
The incumbent state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, and his deputy, Kayode Alabi, are contesting under APC, while Abdullahi Yaman and Makanjuola Gbenga are for the PDP.
Flying the flag for NNPP in the State governorship poll is the former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulraheem Shuaib Oba, with Fadiji Joshua Adebisi as his running mate.
