The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a few moments ago released final lists of presidential, senatorial and house of representatives candidates, but stunningly, the space for Yobe North Senatorial District was left empty.
WikkiTimes understands that the tussle between the Senate President, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and his partyman, Bashir Machina triggered the vacuum.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in June this year held its primaries where Lawan ruffled feathers with Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other aspirants. However, the senate president and other aspirants including the Vice President, Professsor Osinbajo lost to Tinubu.
Lawan would later return to claim his Yobe North ticket which was earlier won by Machina. This did not sit well with the latter and that forced him to drag Lawan to court. But INEC remained incommunicado over the case.
The INEC spokesman, Festus Okoye, later reacted to the tussle, saying the commission stood by the report of its monitoring committee on the issue.
THE LIST
“Nigeria’s 2023 General Election is scheduled to hold in two phases beginning with national elections (Presidential and National Assembly) on Saturday 25th February 2023 and State elections (Governorship and State Houses of Assembly) on Saturday 11th March 2023,” the preface of the document paged 410, partly reads.
It adds: “Pursuant to the provision of Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and as provided in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election released by the Commission on 26th February 2022, this publication contains the final list of candidates nominated by the 18 political parties for national elections covering one Presidential constituency, 109 Senatorial Districts and 360 Federal Constituencies.
“The list has been published in all the Constituencies nationwide and simultaneously on the Commission’s website for public information.”
