INEC Publishes List Of 14 Candidates To Contest In Edo Governorship Election, AAC Candidate Missing

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a provisional list of candidates who will contest in the Edo State governorship election.

The list which was made available to TheNigeriaLawyer (TNL) shows that the two major parties out of the fourteen participating in the election are the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

While Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is the APC governorship candidate, incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki is a candidate of the PDP.

Other candidates for the election include Akhigbe Benjamin Ehiabi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ibio Lucky Emmanuel of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Lucky Osagie Idehen of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Igbineweka Osamuede of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Amos Osalumese Areloegbe of the Action Peoples Party (APP).

Also listed are Osifo Uhun-Ekpenma Isaiah of the Labour Party (LP), Stevie Nash Ozono of the Nigeria People’s Party (NRS), Felix Ikezoe Obayangbon of the SDP, Jones Osagiobare of Young Progressive Party (YPP), and Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

35-year-old Obhafuoso Paul of the Action Alliance (AA) is the youngest candidate on the list, while Agol Ebun Tracy of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is the only female candidate.

It was, however, observed that the Omoyele Sowore-led African Action Alliance (AAC) party and name of its governorship candidate, Mrs Edith Isokpan were conspicuously missing. The AAC would have made the list 15.

The commission said it had opened a dedicated online portal for parties to submit the credentials of their candidates before 6 pm on Monday.

INEC’s spokesperson, Festus Okoye, said the particulars of the listed candidates will be published at its Edo State office and also online on Thursday, July 2.

“The final list of duly nominated candidates will be published on August 13, 2020 after withdrawals by candidates and substitution by their political parties,” Okoye said.

He encouraged “members of the public to go through the nomination forms, affidavits and documents submitted by the parties on behalf of their candidates, as any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that any information in the affidavit or any document submitted by any candidate is false, may file a suit at the Federal High Court, High Court of a state or FCT against such a candidate”

The Edo State governorship election will take place on September 19.

For Ondo elections, INEC says nomination will commence on the second of July to end July 25th and the last date for submission of duly nominated candidate is 28th July, 2020. As for Nasarawa State Central Constituency, nomination starts on the 30th of June and ends 6th of July, 2020