The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the name of candidate submitted for the governorship election of Edo State by the Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The commission said that it decided to reject the list based on the fact that it didn’t monitor the primary that produced the faction’s governorship candidate, Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekwemwen.
Deputy Director in charge of Publicity and Voters’ Education at the commission’s headquarters, Mr. Nick Dazang, stated this in a text message to our correspondent late on Tuesday night.
He said that the commission had accepted the name submitted by the Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi.
Pastor Ize Iyamu is the candidate of the Makarfi-led faction of the party.
He said that the commission had received names of governorship candidates from 18 other political parties, apart from the PDP.
He said, “As at this evening, we received 19 candidates from 19 political parties for the Edo governorship election.
“This includes the candidate of the Makarfi-led faction of the PDP. We received the candidate of the Makarfi-led faction because of the Port Harcourt Court judgement plus the fact that we monitored its primaries.”
Other political parties listed include AA, ACD, ACPN, APC, APGA, LP, MPPP, NCP, NNPP, PDC, PPA, PPN, SDP, UPP and YDP.
The two factions had on Monday submitted names of their governorship candidates for the state to the to the commission.
Both men and their followers are currently locked in legal battle over the leadership of the opposition party.
The deadline for the submission of names of governorship candidates by political parties for the governorship election according to the timetable released by the commission was midnight of Tuesday.
The election holds on September 10.
Spokesperson for the Sheriff camp, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, had told our correspondent on the telephone that the party has done the needful.
Deputy National Chairman of the group, Dr. Cairo Ojugboh, said his faction was relying on the court order that ordered that only the Sheriff group should be allowed to submit names of candidates for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
He said he was sure that the candidate that emerged at the primary conducted by the Sheriff faction, Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekwemwen, would make the INEC final list.
He said his faction would contest the action of the commission, adding that the pronouncement by the court was clear in the matter.
