Controversies trail list of Edo PDP’s candidates on INEC portal

There are conflicting reports surrounding the amended list of the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates vying for the various positions at the Edo State House of Assembly and the National Assembly.

A visit to the electoral body’s website on Thursday indicated that the names of candidates from Edo State were yet to be changed, however, another web link which also belongs to INEC showed otherwise.

Confirming the updated list, Timidi Wariowei, the commission’s officer in charge of voter education, Edo State office, INEC, said there was an amended list on the portal.

According to him, “There is an amended list that is on INEC portal. We are owning up to the list since it is on INEC portal, but we have not received hard copies of the list that we will paste as usual.”

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Also, Tony Azeigbemi, the state chairman of the party, said that the list reflects the outcome of the primaries conducted by the panel sent by National Working Committee of the party.

“The party is in line with the updated list, the updated list reflects the primaries conducted by the panel sent by the National Working Committee of the party to conduct the said primaries. They are the candidates that emerged from the primaries conducted by the panel sent by the NWC,” Aziegbemi said.

However, Hillary Otsu, state secretary of the party, said the candidates’ list on INEC is still intact.

“I went to INEC website, nothing has changed. If you go to INEC website, there is nothing like that. It has remained the way it is when it was first published apart from the candidates for the Edo State House of Assembly which was changed due to court order.

“We have appealed the court order. There was hearing yesterday, and the new date for ruling will be communicated to us soon,” Otsu said.

BusinessDay reports that following the supposedly parallel elections that led to the emergence of different candidates in the primary election conducted by the party in Edo State, there have been controversies surrounding the list of candidates published by INEC. The situation has subsequently led to several cases at the different stages of the court.