- Philip Shaibu loses out!
By Abiola Olawale
The Edo state governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ighodalo Asuerinme; Okpebholo Monday of All Progressives Congress (APC), and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party, LP, have made the official list of the governorship candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the September 21.
The notable absentee from the list is the deputy governor of Edo, Phillip Shaibu, who has been claiming he won the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship ticket.
The particulars were displayed at the INEC office in Aduwawa in Benin, the state capital, and in all its 18 local government offices.
Others are Boot Party (BP), Osirame Edeipo; Accord party (AP), Enabulele Bright; African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obazele Paul Agbone, People Redemption Party (PRP), Key Ndidi and Young Progressive Party (YPP), Okungbowa Paul Ovbokhan.
The list also showed that Mr Uwaifo Osaro is the governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) had Aner Abdullai Aliu. The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) had Azena Azemhe Friday and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) had Osifo Isiah as its candidate.
Others are 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.
The state INEC Head of Voters Education and Publicity, Timidi Wariowei, said the pasting of the particulars was in line with the electoral law, noting that parties and the public can now view the particulars of the candidates and their running mates.
He said: “In compliance with the law, today, being March 30, 2024, the INEC Edo State Office and the I8 local government area offices have pasted Form EC9 which is the personal particulars of the 17 candidates and their deputies.
“We have done this in line with the electoral law, and the public and parties can go to all the local government offices to check the list.”
It would be recalled that Shaibu had emerged as the governorship candidate in a controversial factional primary election of the PDP. Since then, the deputy governor had called on the party’s leadership to give him the certificate of return. He had claimed that the delegates who voted for him at the factional primary election were the real delegates of the party’s chapter in Edo state.
