… Yobe North Senatorial Seat Vacant as winner Bashir Machina refuses to step down for Senate president Ahmad Lawan and files law suit.
….All second term governors running for Senate except Wike, El -Rufa, Masari, Emmanuel, Fayemi, Ganduje, Akeredolu, Badaru
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has approved the final list of candidates for the presidential and National Assembly for first leg of the general election in 2023, holding on the February 25.
According to National Commissioner for Media and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, the approval followed Tuesday meeting at the Commission where it was agreed that the approved list be published following the conduct of primaries and nomination exercises by political parties. In all, 18 registered political parties had their presidential candidates and their Vice-presidential candidates approved. Except for cases where it was indicated to be cases determined by the court as indicated in the list of names, the Commission published a full list of candidates in all the seats to be contested for in the first leg of the general election holding in February. The only vacant position indicated in the approved list is that for Yobe North Senatorial District which is still litigation following the refusal of the winner of the party primary, Bashir Machina to step down for the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.
Bashir Machina won the contest while Lawan was still contesting the Presidential ticket of the party during its presidential convention held on July 7 and 8, 2022. Machina has rejected by national officers of the party to relinguish the post to Lawan.
In another development, all two-term governors are running for the ticket of the senate on the platform of their party with the notable exception of Nyesom Wike of River State who fielded his Deputy, Banigo Ipalibo Harry, and his counterparts in Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi; in Katsina, Aminu Masari; Kaduna, Nasir el-Rufai; Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje; Ondo, Oluwarotin Akeredolu,; Jigawa, Mohammed Badaru and Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel.
Others who are running include, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, Ifeanyi Ugwuayi of Enugu State, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Ben Ayade of Cross River State, Ishaku Dairus of Taraba State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Muhammed Bello of Niger State, Abubakar Atiku of Kebbi State, Simon Lalong of Plateau State.
According to Okoye: “In summary, all 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, that of House of Representatives seats, making a total of 4,223 contesting for 469 legislatives positions. In terms of gender distribution, 3,875 candidates are male, made up of 35 of presidential and Vice Presidential, 1,008 for Senate and 2,832 for House of Representatives.
“Similarly, 381 females comprising 1 for presidential and 92 for Senate and 288 for House of Representatives are contesting. There are also 11 Persons with Disabilities, PWD, in the race.”
