Nigeria: INEC in Dramatic U-Turn, Delists Alao-Akala, Chime

This Day

9 February 2011

Nigeria: INEC in Dramatic U-Turn, Delists Alao-Akala, Chime

There was anxiety yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State and Enugu, capital of Enugu State, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delisted governors of both states - Adebayo Alao-Akala and Sullivan Chime - as governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the April general election.

The commission had on Monday displayed the names of both governors as candidates it had cleared to fly the flags of their party in the forthcoming election.

Elsewhere in Abuja, the National Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Prince Tony Momoh, has chided INEC for publishing names of candidates other than those cleared by the party.

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In Rivers State, heavy rainstorm on Monday washed away the names of the state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi of the PDP and Dr. Abiye Sekibo along with other candidates whose names compendium of sworn affidavits were pasted later in the day.

The state's REC, Mr. Ikoiwal Aniedi explained that the absence of the contestants was not deliberate but due to the rainstorm that blew away the portion containing their names.

"They were there. The names of the governor and Sekibo were all there. I think it is because of the rainfall yesterday (Monday). We will replace them later," he said.