The commission said the situation would remain like that until the courts take a final decision on the party’s authentic candidate for the polls.
The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, had been declared winner of the May 25 PDP governorship primary and the party subsequently submitted his name to INEC as its candidate.
However, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, David Edevbie, challenged Oborevwori’s victory at an Abuja High Court and sought his disqualification, alleging discrepancies in the certificates he presented.
Edevbie’s prayers were granted by the court and Oborevwori was disqualified while the plaintiff was confirmed as the party’s candidate.
Oborevwori promptly filed an appeal against the judgment.
Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Monday Udoh-Tom told newsmen that the commission did not send the particulars of any governorship candidate to the state office for the PDP, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
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“We have no particulars of any candidate for PDP as far as the governorship is concerned because they are in court.
“It is when the matter is determined that we will now have the particulars of one of them.
“You will recall that there was a court judgment that disqualified one of them, and he filed for stay of execution and also appealed the judgment.
“As a result, we cannot act on the case of the PDP for now until the Appeal Court delivers judgment,” Udoh-Tom said.
INEC, however, displayed Sadiq Muhammad Wali on its list as the validly elected candidate of the PDP in Kano State and that of the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru, as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
Similarly, Lagos based business man, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, who has been having a running battle with Senator Obinna Ìgba, was listed as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the State.
The commission had said the only primary election its staff observed was that which produced Muhammad Abacha as PDP gubernatorial candidate in Kano State.
Abacha, son of the late General Sani Abacha, has gone to court to seek his confirmation as the authentic candidate.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Shehu Risqua, declined to comment on the turn of events yesterday.
Also on the INEC list is Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna as flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Gawuna is the current deputy governor of the state.
Yusuf Abba Kabir is listed as candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
For the 2023 elections in Rivers State, INEC listed Tonye Cole and Siminialaye Fubara as the governorship candidates of the APC and the PDP respectively.
The commission also published the name of Dumu Lulu Briggs as the candidate of the Accord Party for the election.
Meanwhile, INEC’s REC in Akwa Ibom, Mike Igini, has said the commission will publish the list of governorship candidates in the state today.
Igini, who spoke with our correspondent via telephone, said the names of gubernatorial candidates of various political parties in the state were still been compiled last night. He promised to publish the list once it is ready.
The commission’s list also featured the name of a Professor of Geo-Physics, Bernard Odoh, as the candidate of the Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Ebonyi.
Nwifuru and Odii had faced stiff challenge to their candidatures as factional primary elections in their parties produced multiple candidates laying claim to the guber tickets.
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The senator representing Ebonyi Central, Obinna Ìgba, is in court with ÌdËi for the governorship ticket of PDP after he emerged in a second primary conducted by the PDP.
Former Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Chairman, Elias Mbam, also emerged in a parallel primary conducted by a faction of the APC in the State in May.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Dr Chukwuemeka Joseph Chukwu, listed the names of the political parties that nominated governorship candidates in Ebonyi to include: AA, ADC, ADP, APC, APGA, APM, APP, LP, NNPP, NRM, PDP and YPP.
Meanwhile, the name of Hon. Chijioke Edeoga was not published as one of the 2023 governorship candidates in Enugu State by INEC.
Edeoga was reported to have switched over to the Labour Party (LP) and emerged as the party’s governorship candidate after losing the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Peter Mbah.
However, his name did not appear as INEC published the particulars of some governorship and house of assembly candidates nominated by political parties for the 2023 general elections in the state.
Our correspondent, who visited the INEC office yesterday evening, observed that Agbo Casmir Uchenna was rather listed by INEC as the LP’s governorship candidate for Enugu State with Edeoga Benjamin Odo as his running mate.
The information included that of PDP, Barr. Peter Mbah, and his running mate, Ossai Ifeanyi Martins, and the candidate of APGA, Nweke Frank Nnaemeka alongside his running mate, Ugwuanyi Edith Ngozi.
At the time of filing this report, particulars of the APC candidates and other parties were yet to be published.
The Nation