Rivers, Zamfara APC missing as INEC releases final list of candidates for March 2 guber elections

The All Progressives Congress will not be fielding candidates in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in both Rivers and Zamfara States according to the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a list released on Thursday, the two states had no candidates representing the APC. The list released, according to INEC, is final.

In the case of Rivers state, a Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, had ruled the party cannot field candidates for the forthcoming elections after the state high court had in a ruling voided the party’s congresses, saying they were conducted in outright violation of subsisting court orders.

Also a Federal High Court in Abuja had ruled that the party did not conduct valid primaries in Zamfara and therefore is ineligible to field candidates for the elections.

Meanwhile, Buruji Kashamu was listed as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state, which put to an end the lingering dispute over the party’s flag bearer in the state.

In all there are a total of 1,066 candidates for the governorship elections to be conducted in 29 states.

INEC also announced candidates for the various state Houses of Assembly.

There are a total of 14,583 candidates for the state assembly election scheduled to hold alongside the governorship poll.