Umahi, Akpabio in, Lawan out as INEC unveils candidates for 2023 elections (SEE LIST)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday released the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2023 general elections.

In a statement signed by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, the duo of Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, were cleared for the election.

However, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, was conspicuously missing from the list.

Umahi won the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial rerun primary held in Ebonyi South senatorial district on July 31.

The governor polled 250 votes while his younger brother, Austin, who had earlier withdrawn from the race, garnered 10 votes in the exercise held at Afikpo North local council headquarters.

The duo of Mrs. Elizabeth Chukwu and Mrs. Ann Agom-Eze, who was Umahi’s main rival for the ticket, polled five and zero votes respectively.

READ ALSO: Reprieve for Akpabio, as court orders INEC to recognise him as A’Ibom North senatorial candidate for 2023 polls

Akpabio made the cut for Akwa Ibom North-West after battling with a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udom Ekpoudom, for the right to represent APC in the 2023 elections.

No candidate was listed for APC in the Yobe North Senatorial District.

Lawan had battled with a former federal lawmaker, Bashir Machina, for the APC ticket in the district.

Machina, who won the party’s primary election held in Yobe North in May, had defied pressure from several quarters to withdraw for the Senate President.

In the statement, INEC said the decision to approve the list of candidates was in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and item 8 of the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections.

The statement read: “In summary, all the 18 political parties have fielded candidates and their running mates for the Presidential election. For legislative elections, 1,101 candidates are vying for 109 Senatorial seats and 3,122 candidates for Federal Constituencies i.e. House of Representatives seats, making a total of 4,223 candidates contesting for 469 legislative positions.

“In terms of gender distribution, 3,875 candidates are male, made up of 35 for Presidential and Vice Presidential, 1,008 for Senate and 2,832 for House of Representatives.

“Similarly, 381 females comprising 1 for Presidential, 92 for Senate, and 288 for House of Representatives are contesting. There are also 11 Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the race.”

Final List of Candidates for National Elections-1

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