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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the list of 18 candidates for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
However, no candidate was listed for the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) by the electoral umpire.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, in a statement that accompanied the publication of the list of candidates, said the position of the commission was in deference to pending litigation trailing parallel primaries conducted by the party in Anambra State.
Recall that a faction led by Sir Chukwudi Umeaba had produced Senator Ugochukwu Uba as the PDP candidate, while Valentine Ozigbo emerged as the candidate of the faction accorded recognition by the PDP National Working Committee.
Also, list equally revealed that former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo, may have lost the ticket to Chukuwuma Umeoji.
Umeoji emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) faction led by Jude Okeke while the Victor Oye faction produced Soludo. The incumbent governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, belongs to the Oye faction and had since congratulated Soludo for emerging as the standard-bearer of the party.
The name of Senator Andy Uba was published as candidate of the All Progressives Congress( APC ) by INEC.