The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not listed any candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 governorship election in Delta State for the time being.
The electoral umpire said the reason behind the omission is because INEC has no particulars of any candidate for PDP as far as the governorship is concerned because they are in court.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Mr. Monday Udoh-Tom confirmed the development to newsmen.
Mr. Udoh-Tom said that the commission did not send the particulars of any governorship candidate to the state office for PDP for the 2023 general elections.
According to him, things would remain the way they are until the courts take a final decision on the party’s authentic candidate for the polls.
Following the party’s primary election held on May 25, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, was declared winner.
Consequently, the party submitted his name to INEC as its candidate.
However, Mr. David Edevbie, the former Chief of Staff to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, challenged Oborevwori’s emergence at the court.
He asked the court to disqualify Oborevwori, alleging discrepancies in the certificates he presented.
Edevbie’s prayers were granted by the court and Oborevwori was disqualified while the plaintiff was confirmed as the party’s candidate.
Oborevwori filed an appeal promptly against the judgment and both parties are waiting for the outcome.
Clarifying INEC’s position on the stalemate, Udoh-Tom said: “We have no particulars of any candidate for PDP as far as the governorship is concerned because they are in court.
“It is when the matter is determined that we will now have the particulars of one of them.
“You will recall that there was a court judgment that disqualified one of them, and he filed for stay of execution and also appealed the judgment.
“As a result, we cannot act on the case of the PDP for now until the Appeal Court delivers judgment,” he added.
Meanwhile, in another development, News Band had earlier reported that INEC removed the name of son of the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha as PDP governorship candidate.
INEC, on Friday, pasted the name and credentials of Sadiq Wali as the authentic PDP gubernatorial candidate in Kano state.
This led to confusion among members of the party loyal to the state executive led by Shehu Sagagi.
The report noted that the crisis in the Kano chapter of the party led to parallel primary elections which produced the sons of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, and that of late General Sani Abacha.
The state REC, Professor Riskuwa Shehu, told journalists on June 30 that the commission monitored only the primaries conducted by the Shehu Wada Sagagi-led state executive which produced Abacha as its governorship candidate.
But with the list of gubernatorial candidates pasted nationwide on Friday at INEC’s state offices, it was observed that Wali’s name and that of his deputy, Yusuf Dambatta, were displayed on the wall at Kano INEC office.
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