The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released amended lists of candidates for the upcoming Bayelsa and Imo gubernatorial elections. Notably, the names of Timipre Sylva and his running mate, Joshua Maciver of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are absent from the list for the Bayelsa election. The column for the APC candidate and running mate remains blank with “court order” remarks.
For Imo, the commission has included the names of Uchechukwu Ishiodu as the gubernatorial candidate and Ahumbe Chiazor as the running mate for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the state election.
According to Rose Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary to the Commission, the amended lists reflect INEC’s obedience to court orders related to the candidates. The commission had previously published the final list of candidates for both states’ elections in accordance with the law. However, court orders led to the revision of these lists, as mandated by Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
For Bayelsa, a Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified Sylva from participating in the state’s governorship election, citing violations of the 1999 constitution. In Imo, a Federal High Court in Owerri ordered INEC to include the name of the PRP governorship candidate on the list of nominated candidates published on the INEC website.
These amendments ensure that the candidates in both states comply with court orders and legal requirements.
