Fourteen of the fifteen political parties that indicated interest in contesting the September 19 Edo State governorship election met the deadline for the submission of the nomination forms of their candidates, the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) said in a statement last night by its National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye.
The electoral body had closed its dedicated portal for the submission of the parties’ nominees on Monday night, promising to vet the nominations yesterday.
Meanwhile, one of the contesting parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday began the process of reconciliation after years of internal wrangling with the composition of two committees to resolve bickering among its members in Edo and Ondo states.
The party’s Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee named former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, and Governor of Niger State, Mr. Abubakar Bello, to chair the reconciliation committees for Edo and Ondo states respectively.
Meanwhile, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the commission would prefer electronic balloting in Anambra State governorship election scheduled for 2021 as well as electronic voting in subsequent elections
The statement listed the parties and their candidates that beat the deadline as Action Alliance, Mr. Obahafuosu Paul, 35, running with Mr. Sunday Johnbull, 35.
ADC has Mr. Aikhigbe Benjamin, 38, running with Ms. Mabel Akomu Oboh, 56; ADP, Obvious Emmanuel, 36, with Desmond Kola Imasuen, 36; APC has Osagie Ize-Iyamu, 58, with Audu Abiding Ganiyu, 50.
APGA has Lucky Osagie Idehen, 45 as the governorship candidate, running with Mallam Isah Suleiman Asekhaimen, 40; APM, Igbenieweka Osamuede 42, with Obiyan Christian age 40; APP, Amos Areloegbe, 52, with Afolabi Saki-Ogah, 56; Labour Party, Paid Isaiah, 60, with Omobayo Marvellous, 35; NNPP, Agol Tracy, 48, with Enobhaysobo Jonathan, 57; NPM, Steve Ozono, 53, with Osadolor Festus, 53.
PDP has Godwin Obaseki, 63, running with Philip Shaibu, 50; SDP, Felix Obayangbon, 63, with Onion Omonye, 37; YPP, Jones Osagiobare, 52, with Samson Idowoage, 49; and ZLP, Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena, 39, with Thompson Osadolor, 64.
Okoye said the provisional list of the candidates disaggregated on the basis of name, gender, age and qualification has been uploaded on the commission’s website and social media platforms, adding that as required by law, the particulars of the nominated candidates would be published in the commission’s office in Edo State and simultaneously uploaded on its website on Thursday, July 2, 2020.
He said: “We encourage 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 the FCT against such a candidate seeking a declaration that the information contained in the affidavit is false. The final list of duly nominated candidates will be published on August 13, 2020, after withdrawals by candidates and substitution by their political parties.”
