APC missing as INEC lists Rivers’ senatorial candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the names of candidates for the national assembly election in Rivers state.

The names of the candidates were revealed in a list signed by Rose Orianran-Anthony, on Thursday.

However, the logo and names of the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were excluded from the list.

Obo Effanga, resident electoral commissioner in the state, insisted on obeying court judgement.

INEC is expected to release the governorship and assembly election list for all states on January 31.

A federal high court in Port Harcourt had restrained INEC from presenting Tonye Cole and Magnus Abe as governorship candidates in the general elections.

The APC had produced two governorship candidates in parallel primary elections.

Subsequently, the court nullified all direct and indirect primaries conducted by both factions of the APC.

While delivering the judgement, James Omotosho, the judge, said none of the primaries were conducted according to the law.

Omotosho said both factions of the APC acted in disrespect of a pending suit before Chinwendu Nwogu, a judge of the state high court.

In a judgement delivered in October, Nwogu had nullified all the primary elections conducted by the APC in the state.

Omotosho noted that it is illegal for candidates to emerge from the different primaries conducted by the two factions, adding that the judgment of Nwogu is yet to be set aside by an appellate court, hence, it remains valid.

Cole is the preferred candidate of Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transport, while Abe is the senator representing Rivers south-east.