Politics

INEC’s Candidates List: 1,066 Gov, 14,583 State Assembly, 806 FCT contest 2019 polls

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5 years ago

February 1, 2019

Olu Emmanuel

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APC in Rivers, Zamfara Missing on Lists

By SUNDAY DOMINIC

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Thursday, January 31, 2019, published the final list of candidates for the Governorship and House of Assemblies of the 36 states of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, eligible to contest the 2019 General Elections in Nigeria.

The list shows that 1,066 candidates will be contesting the Governorship election; 14,583 will be contesting elections into the States Houses of Assembly elections while 806 candidates will stand for elections the FCT Area Council elections broken down into 105 Chairmanship candidates and 701 Councillorship candidates. However, the FCT would be presenting candidates to contest the one senatorial seat in the Territory, as well as candidates the House of Representatives seats allocated the Territory.

The candidates list published on Thursday was signed by the INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.

The INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, disclosed that the final list of candidates for the Governorship, State Assembly and FCT Area Council elections scheduled to hold on March 2, 2019 were ready.

The Commissioner reiterated the resolve of the INEC to exclude candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Zamfara and Rivers State, from the list of candidates because of the inability of the party to conclude its primary election and nomination of candidates within the time frame stipulated by the INEC or the Court judgment, as in Rivers, that nullified the APC primary elections.

In Zamfara State, Governor Abdulaziz Yari led APC faction insisted primary elections were conducted and candidates nominated; but the Senator Kabiru Marafa countered that no primary election held in the state. APC National Working Committee, NWC, in alliance with Senator Marafa, maintained that no primary elections were held. However, the NWC claimed it adopted consensus candidates within the stipulated time.

Meanwhile, the APC suit challenging the INEC could yet yield consensus judgment. However, the faction led by Marafa has gone to the Court of Appeal.

A Federal High Court ruled that APC defied a High Court judgment on the congress crisis in the Rivers State which had multiplier effects on the emergent leadership. Thus, the Court declared the subsequent primary elections and the emergent candidates from the primaries null and void.

The Rivers APC was torn into two division led by the Minister of Transport and Director General of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Organization, Rotimi Amaechi, and Senator Magnus Abe, respectively.