2023: INEC’s list excludes Senate President; 1 female presidential candidate out of 18

Unless the court decides otherwise, Senate President Ahmad Lawan will cease being a member of the National Assembly from June next year. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) left out the name of the Yobe North Senator in the final list of senatorial candidates for election scheduled for next 25th February.

Published on Tuesday, the list did not also feature Bashir Sheriff Machina, the fierce contender, who won the Yobe North senatorial primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on 28th June.

Lawan was in the pioneer federal parliament of the Fourth Republic in 1999 as a member of the House of Representatives for Bade/Jakusko federal constituency. After two terms, he was elected Senator for Yobe North in 2007, making this term his fourth term in the upper legislative chamber.

INEC left the space for APC blank in its published list for Yobe North senatorial district.

While Lawan was bidding for the APC presidential ticket, which he eventually lost, Machina focused on replacing the long-term federal parliamentarian. He polled 289 delegate votes out of 300 in the initial primary of the party, which INEC supervised. But the party controversially organised another one after claiming that Machina withdrew his candidacy, a position the candidate vehemently denied.

A fortnight ago, a Federal High Court in Damaturu reserved ruling in the matter between both claimants to the APC Yobe North senatorial ticket. Justice Fadimatu Aminu said a date would be communicated to the parties involved in the suit.

But former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, who had a similar situation like Lawan, had his name in the INEC list, thanks to the court. Last week, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the commission to accept and publish Akpabio’s name as APC candidate for Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district.

Akpabio also contested for APC presidential candidacy, but stepped down for the eventual winner, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu just before the balloting. While the former Niger Delta Minister was away at the national level, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udom Ekpoudom contested and won the APC primary election for the seat.

Another controversial candidate on the INEC list is Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi who has been cleared to run for APC in the Abia South senatorial election. As it is in Akpabio’s case, INEC’s decision was based on court order. In July, a Federal High Court in Abakaliki declared Princess Ann Agom-Eze as the APC senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, but in the same breath gave room for a fresh primary election to be held within 14 days.

Agom-Eze appealed that decision and stayed away from the subsequent primary on 31st July, which Umahi won.

INEC also listed Senator Ibrahim Shekarau as senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in Kano Central district. But the former Kano State Governor has since defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.

INEC cleared 18 political parties to contest the presidential election. The candidates include Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, who was reportedly expelled by a faction of the African Democratic Congress, a situation that was immediately denied by a rival faction.

In all, 4,256 candidates, including vice presidential hopefuls, are running for the national elections. However, of the 36 presidential candidates and their running mates, there is only one woman – Princess Chichi Ojei of the Allied Peoples Movement. She is 44 years old.

For the senatorial election, 1,100 are in the race in the 109 seats in the upper legislative chamber with only 92 of them female.

For the 360 seats in the House of Representatives, there are 3,12o candidates, 288 of them female.

Eleven Persons with Disability are cleared to contest the elections.