THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, removed the names of Oyo State governor,

Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala and Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State from the list of gubernatorial candidates in the two states for the April general election.

A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State had asked INEC to reject the list of Oyo State candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) based on the congresses conducted last December, when it ordered that the name of the party’s gubernatorial standard-bearer, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, be removed from the gubernatorial list.

Based on an order from the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Chief Alao-Akala’s name was removed from the list of gubernatorial contestants in Oyo State which had been pasted since Sunday evening.

INEC’s Head of Information in the state, Alhaji Ayodele Folami, said that it was in compliance with the directive of the INEC headquarters in Abuja, saying, “the name has been removed from the list we pasted alongside others in compliance with the directive from our headquarters in Abuja.”

He said the list was ordered removed for now and it was only the INEC headquarters that could explain the reason.

However, a source told the Nigerian Tribune that it was not unconnected with an order of a court, which on February 1, 2011 barred INEC from accepting or receiving list of candidates from the party in the state following alleged inconclusive congresses held from December 29 to December 31, 2010, in the state.

Meanwhile, tension and anxiety heightened in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, on Tuesday, following the sudden disappearance of the list of gubernatorial candidates for this year’s general election at the state secretariat of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

While the pro-Okwesilieze Nwodo group is jubilating over the withdrawal of the list, the loyalists of Governor Sullivan Chime appear to have gone under ground apparently to re-strategise.

The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chuks Ugwoke, said the incumbent governor was still very much in the gubernatorial contest on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Nigerian Tribune observed, on Tuesday, that the list of candidates which was displayed on the notice board of INEC office on Achi Street, Independent Layout, Enugu on Monday was no longer there.

It was gathered that when the list of the PDP was removed on the directive of INEC in Abuja, some PDP faithful suspected to be loyal to Governor Chime tore the entire list.

Speaking on the development, the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Joseph Uwazuruonye, told reporters that the list of gubernatorial candidates from the state was published in error, adding that he was called from the INEC office in Abuja and directed to withdraw the list of gubernatorial candidates in Enugu State pending the determination of the court cases involving the party primaries in the state.

“The list was withdrawn by INEC. It was published in error, because we had court injunctions. After the display of the list, I was called by Abuja that the list should be withdrawn immediately. It was the legal department of INEC that directed me to do so. A new list will be published after determination of the court.”

Asked why the entire gubernatorial list was withdrawn, the state INEC boss denied ever seeing the list before it was displayed, stressing that he had tried to remove himself from the matter.

The information commissioner in a text message said: “We have heard such unconfirmed report but if it is true, then it is, perhaps, in strict compliance with due process and full observance of the rule of law.

It does not violate the irreducible fact that Governor Sullivan was duly nominated by PDP and had since filled and returned his nomination form to INEC.”

He further said: “We are quite certain that in the fullness of time, other legal issues will be sorted out and we shall witness the final verdict and the corresponding commencement of other electoral activities.”

Meanwhile, more names of candidates for the April polls, as approved by the INEC, have been released by resident electoral commissioners in more states of the federation.

Names of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State; Orji Uzor Kalu; Uche Chukwumerije; Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa; Buba Marwa; Governor Timpre Sylva of Bayelsa; Timi Alaibe and Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi were among the candidates accredited by the INEC.

However, Governor Orji now has a new running mate for the 2011 race, as he dropped his deputy, Eric Acho Nwakanma and picked Emeka Ananaba, who is in his 70s.

The information formed part of the list of accredited candidates by INEC, Abia State branch, in Umuahia, on Monday.

However, the Nigerian Tribune gathered that name of the running mate to the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state, John Agbara, also appeared as the running mate for the ANPP standard-bearer.

In Jigawa State, INEC displayed the name of governor, Alhaji Lamido and seven other names as gubernatorial candidates for the April polls.

Speaking on behalf of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Alhaji Bagobiri, the administrative secretary of the commission, Alhaji Bala Shitu, said the lists displayed was not that of candidates but that of those who had indicated their interest to contest the 2011 general election.

According to him, the gubernatorial candidates in the April election included Governor Lamido (PDP); Alhaji Badaru Abubakar (ACN); Farouk Adamu Aliyu (CPC); Alhaji Ahmed A. Yaro (APGA) and Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibrahim (ADC).

Others are Mr Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia (ANPP); Alhaji Danlami Haruna Hadejia (NRP) and Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulkarim (MPPP).

Meanwhile, the INEC in Jigawa State has displayed the provisional figure of the 2011 voter registration which indicates that a total of 1,875,247 eligible voters were registered in the state.

Only 10 out of 63 registered political parties in Adamawa State fielded candidates for the April general election, the REC in charge of the state, Mr Gaidam Kashim, disclosed to newsmen in his office on Tuesday.

He said only the ANPP, ACN, Labour Party (LP) and the PDP fielded candidates for all the elective positions in the forthcoming elections.

Gaidam added that Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has candidates for all the elective positions with 23 out of the 25-member state House of Assembly, while National Transformation Party (NTP) has only 20 for the state House of Assembly poll.

Murtala Nyako, Buba Marwa, Markus Gundiri, Ahamed Usman, Maurice Vunoboki, Adamu Modibbo scaled through the lists of the INEC for the April polls.

For the senatorial race, former Governor Boni Haruna and his deputy, Alhaji Bello Tukur, led the pack of candidates jostling for seats in the upper chamber of the National Assembly in the state.

Governor Timipre Sylva and the former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Matters, Mr Timi Alaibe, topped the list of 261 candidates cleared for various political offices in the 2011 general election in Bayelsa State.

This is just as one of the aggrieved aspirants, Honourable Ofoni Williams from Sagbama/Ekeremor federal constituency headed for court to challenge his exclusion from the list.

The state REC, Mr Edwin Nwatalari, said a total number of 31 political parties in Bayelsa State fielded candidates at different levels for the general election in the state.

The list, as at the time of filing this report, had 15 candidates jostling for the office of governor, which included Chief Sylva, PDP; Mr Alaibe, LP; Dr Imoro Kubo, ACN; Pastor Belief Abiri, Action Party of Nigeria; Prince Kelum Alagoa, Peoples Party of Nigeria; Akiki Aprala, African Political System and Tare-out Actor Luggard, African Democratic Congress.

In Delta State, the INEC cleared 22 political parties to contest the gubernatorial election in the state.

The list, as released by the INEC, had Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, PDP; Chief Great Ogboru, DPP, Ovie Omo-Agege, Action Congress of Nigeria; Collins Eselemo, NCP; Jude Eruka Ukasara, CPC and George Oyefia, ANPP.

Also in the race are Donald Chukwumeke, JP; Peter Osadalor, Accord Party, among others.

In Bauchi, Governor Yuguda of the PDP topped the list of the gubernatorial candidates, while Sagir Aminu Saleh was listed as his deputy.

Also included in the list were the names of nine other gubernatoria candidates, among them were Suleiman Muhammad Nazif Gamawa, ANPP; Yusuf Maitama Tugar, CPC, Senator Baba Tela, ACN; Yusuf Ahmad, KOWA Party; Haliru Abdullahi, AD; Musa Umar Gwasskwaram, ALP; Danladi Musa, NPPP and Kawuwa Umar Abdullahi, APGA.




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