INEC okays 352 candidates for gov poll

No fewer than 352 candidates will contest the April 16 governorship election in 26 out of the 36 states in the country. A list of the candidates posted by the Independent National Electoral Commission on its websitewww.inecnigeria.org on Sunday, shows Rivers State topping the list with 28 candidates. Delta State came second with 23 candidates and Ogun, third with 20. Niger and Gombe States have the least number of candidates with six each. Nasarawa and Jigawa states have nine candidates each. The major surprise is the appearance of Mr. Gboyega Isiaka of the Peoples Party of Nigeria as one of the governorship candidates in Ogun State. Isiaka was the governorsip candidate produced by one of the two Peoples Democratic Party factions loyal to Governor Gbenga Daniel at its primary in the state. When his candidacy was nullified by a Federal High Court in Abuja, he joined the PPN. The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, had in an interview with THE PUNCH on March 8 said that Isiaka was not on the commission’s list as a governorship candidate of any party. Idowu had said, “There is no record in the INEC of Gboyega Isiaka being the candidate of the party you are talking about.” But the Publicity Secretary of the PPN in the state, Mr. Ajayi Raheem, insisted that Isiaka was the governorship candidate of the PPN. Explaining on Sunday why Isiaka’s name appeared on INEC’s list, Idowu said, “I remember also that the party (PPN) said that it had filed documents before the closing date. It is obvious that they were able to prove their case.” The other governorship candidates in Ogun State are Maj-Gen Tunji Olurin(Peoples Democratic Party); Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Action Congress of Nigeria) and Chief Jide Awosedo (Labour Party). In Oyo State, Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala is the PDP candidate; Senator Rasheed Ladoja, Accord Party; and Senator Bola Ajimobi, ACN. Governor Babatunde Fashola is the ACN candidate in Lagos State, while Dr. Ade Dosunmu will fly the flag of the PDP in the election. The INEC list did not include governorship candidates in Anambra, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states. It also omitted Kogi, Adamawa, Cross River, Bayelsa and Sokoto states, where governors had won legal battles extending their tenures. Ironically, INEC did not display the list of National Assembly candidates, which it should have published on March 16. It was learnt that the commission was inundated with petitions and litigations over the illegal substitution of candidates for the elections. INEC also on Sunday issued a notice of the April general elections in compliance with the provisions of Section 46 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). By the notice, the first set of elections which is that of positions into the National Assembly will hold on Saturday, April 2. Accreditation of voters is scheduled to start at 8am and end at 12 noon. Voting proper will begin at 12:30am and end when the last accredited voter on the queue casts his/her vote. The Presidential poll will be the second in the series of the elections. It will take place on April 9. Accreditation of voters will also start at 8am and end at 12 noon. Voting will commence from 12:30pm and end when the last accredited voter on the queue casts his/her vote. The governorship and State Assembly Elections will hold the same day (April 16). The modes of accreditation and voting are the same as those of other elections. A statement by INEC’s Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama, which contains the notice, explained that persons eligible to vote at the elections must be those legally registered during the 2011 registration of voters.