The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday released the list of governorship candidates of the 17 political parties contesting the September 21 governorship election in Edo State with the name of the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, said to be missing.
In the newly released list of qualified gubernatorial candidates for the state by INEC, Philip Shaibu’s name was not included.
Among the candidates that were released are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ighodalo Asuerinme; All Progressives Congress (APC), Okpebholo Monday, and Accord Party (AP), Iyere Kennedy.
Others are Boot Party (BP), Osirame Edeipo; Action Alliance (AA), Uwaifo Osaro; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Aner Abdullai Aliu; New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Azena Azemhe Friday and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Osifo Isiah.
Also, on the list are the candidates of the All People Movement (APM), Ugiagbe Odaro Syvelster; All Peoples Party (APP), Areleogbe Amos Osalumese; Action Democratic Party (ADP), Akhime Kingson Afere; African Action Congress (AAC), Udoh Obersifo David, and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena.
African Democratic Congress (ADC) has Obazele Paul Agbone; Labour Party (LP), Olumide Akpata Anthony; People Redemption Party (PRP), Key patience Ndidi, and Young Progressives Party (YPP), Okungbowa Paul Ovbokhan.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in Edo, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, displayed the list on the notice board in Edo State’s INEC office and in all INEC offices across the 18 local councils of the state.
INEC said: “Any aspirant who participated in his/her party’s primary, with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false, can challenge the nomination in a Federal High Court, as provided for in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022.”
It would be recalled that on February 22, 2023, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state held parallel primaries in the state, which resulted in the selection of two candidates—Philip Shaibu and Asue Ighodalo—for the governorship poll in 2024.
At the Samuel Ogbemudia primary, Ighodalo emerged victorious with 577 votes, while Shaibu was proclaimed the winner with 301 votes.
While some delegates were being accredited at the Edo Hotel Marquee to go to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium venue of the primary poll, a group of delegates met in a building on Commercial Avenue and named Shaibu the PDP’s candidate.
