INEC Denies Updated List of PDP Candidates for Edo House, National Assembly

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has denied the existence of fresh list of candidates for the state and National Assembly elections in Edo State.

Confusion emerged yesterday in several parts of Edo State as a purported list from the INEC went viral, which indicated an updated list in the portal of the election body where all the candidates of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate, House of Representatives and the state House of Assembly were those in the camp of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The said list caused jubilation in the camp of the supporters of Obaseki who shared them in various social media platforms while the same created anxiety in the camp of members loyal to the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih.

The Head of Voter Education and Publicity of INEC in Edo State, mr. Timidi Wariowei said the commission was yet to receive any new list of candidates, adding that if the body receive such, they would comply.

He said: “People should be wary of many of these online publications flying everywhere. We are not hiding anything, there is no new list from INEC as of today and issues are still in court so whatever the court decides, INEC will act accordingly.

“If there is any court directive we will comply but as at today, what we have is what has been displayed and we will also comply if there is any directive to carry out any other action.” 

There are cases in court over who the authentic candidates of the PDP are and the Supreme Court recently ruled in one of the cases that the courts have no jurisdiction on who the delegates and candidates of political parties are, insisting that these issues are purely the internal affairs of the parties.