The final list of candidates for the governorship and houses of assembly elections in 28 of the federation’s states in 2023 has been released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

List from INEC:14 APC, PDP, and LP candidates are eliminated by litigation.

The list of 18 political parties included 837 candidates and their running mates for the 28 governorship elections, according to a statement that was signed on Wednesday by Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
In addition, the statement stated that 10,231 candidates would compete for 993 seats in the elections for the state assembly.
The names of the running mates of the governorship candidates from the 18 political parties scheduled to participate in the poll were also on the list.
According to The PUNCH’s findings, the litigation and controversies that plagued the parties’ primary elections have resulted in the removal of at least 14 candidates from the INEC list in 12 states.
This takes place in the midst of ongoing litigation in four additional states: Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Enugu, Rivers, and Ogun.
The governorship and state houses of assembly elections will take place on March 11, 2023, as stated in the 2023 general election schedule.
However, the election will not be held in the states of Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Osun, which are no longer included in the circle of general elections.
Those who have been cleared to run for governor include:Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State;Dapo Abiodun, Governor of Ogun State;833 others, including Delta State’s Ovie Omo-Agege.
Omo-Agege of the APC would be competing with Sheriff Oborevwori of the People’s Democratic Party for the position of Speaker of the State House of Assembly in Delta;Kenneth Gbagi of the Social Democratic Party and Great Ogboru of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
The former Minister of State for Education has also been approved for the governorship;The NNPP’s Agbi Goodnews Goodman;Samuel Ogba Emmanuel of ADP;The ADC’s Ekure Efeoghene Shedrack;AA’s Gwede Jerkins Giane;and NRM’s America Emmanuel.
According to the results of the checks, neither the People’s Democratic Party nor the All Progressives Congress will put forward candidates for governor in the states of Ogun and Akwa Ibom, respectively.
In addition, because they do not have any candidates, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Booth Party, Labour Party, Young People’s Party, and Zenith Labour Party will not participate in the election in Ogun State.
Due to the party’s crisis in the state chapter and INEC’s refusal to monitor the primary that produced Akanimo Udofia, the APC candidate in Akwa Ibom State was left off the list.In accordance with the Electoral Act of 2022, it therefore rejected his candidacy.
Ladi Adebutu, the PDP’s candidate for governor of Ogun State, was the subject of at least four lawsuits.
Ex-candidates Segun Showunmi and Jimi Lawal filed two of the suits, while three PDP members Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala, and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuru also filed a suit to challenge the delegates’ list used in the party primaries.
All PDP primaries held in the state were declared invalid on Tuesday by a Federal High Court in Abeokuta.
In addition, the court prohibited INEC from recognizing Adebutu as the party’s candidate for governor of the state.Adebutu was said to have appealed the Federal Court’s decision, according to reports.
Because there was no space for them, the Peoples Redemption, Young People’s Party, and All Progressives Grand Alliance did not have any candidates for governorship in Gombe State.
The African Action Congress, Action Peoples Party, Allied Peoples Movement, and Zenith Labour Party did not have any candidates for Jigawa.
In a similar vein, the AAC, Booth Party, and ZLP will not field candidates for governor in Kaduna State, and the AAC, APP, APM, and APGA will not participate in the governorship poll either.
Further investigation revealed that the AAC, APP, APM, YPP, and APGA do not have any candidates for governor in Katsina.
Additionally, none of the AAC, APGA, or New Nigeria Peoples Party candidates will run in the Kebbi governorship race.
In Kwara State, the INEC list does not include APGA, BP, or NRM.
The ZLP will not run for governor of Oyo, and the PRP will not run for governor of Rivers State.