PDP in Trouble: We Won’t Accept Makarfi, Sheriff’s Candidates for Edo 2016-INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would await the final outcome of court cases in deciding on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate for the governorship election in Edo.

Nick Dazang, Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

The two factions of PDP led by National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Ahmed Markafi and disputed National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, conducted separate primaries to pick candidate.

The Makarfi’s group, supported by all organs of the party, including the Governors’ Forum and the Board of Trustees, conducted its primary on June 20 in Benin and elected Osagie Ize-Iyamu as candidate.

On June 29, in another primary also in Benin, but was not supervised by INEC as required by the Electoral Act, Sheriff’s faction picked Matthew Iduoriyekwemwen as the party’s candidate for the Sept. 10 election.

Insisting on final pronouncement of the court of the issue, mR. Dazang said, “as at now we have not received the certified true copy of the July 4 judgment of a Federal high Court, Port Harcourt, on the matter.

“We are waiting for that judgment and other judgments so that we can study them.

“The commission, after studying the judgment and the advice from its lawyers, will then take a position, but we are still waiting for the last judgment which was the one on July 4.

NAN