The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has published the final list of presidential and national assembly candidates for the 2023 general election.
According to the list, the gender breakdown revealed that men make up the largest share of Presidential and National House of Assembly seats, and yet the share of women in major political positions remains disproportionately low.
Women make up about 381 of all the national positions while Men represent 3,875.
Additionally, Persons with Disability, PWD are 11 also jostling for positions.
In a statement on Tuesday, the commission said it approved the final list of candidates “pursuant to section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 and item 8 of the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general election”.
“In summary, all the 18 political parties have fielded candidates and their running mates for the Presidential election. For legislative elections, 1,101 candidates are vying for 109 Senatorial seats and 3,122 candidates for Federal Constituencies i.e. House of Representatives seats, making a total of 4,223 candidates contesting for 469 legislative positions,” the statement reads.
“In terms of gender distribution, 3,875 candidates are male, made up of 35 for Presidential and Vice Presidential, 1,008 for Senate and 2,832 for House of Representatives.
“Similarly, 381 females comprising 1 for Presidential, 92 for Senate, and 288 for House of Representatives are contesting. There are also 11 Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the race.”
According to the list, David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, is the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Ebonyi south, while for Yobe north district, there is no senatorial candidate listed for the APC.
For Yobe north, there has been some controversy over the APC senatorial ticket, and the matter is currently in court.
At a primary organised by the party in May, Bashir Machina had won unopposed, but Ahmad Lawan, senate president, was said to have participated in another primary organised by the APC, after he contested the party’s presidential ticket and lost in June.
Similarly, Clarita Ogar of Labour Party was also not included in the list despite a court order on INEC to include the name of the House of Representatives candidate, who couldn’t meet up with the June 17 deadline stipulated by the Electoral umpire as the final date for political parties to submit names of aspirants to it’s portal
Meanwhile, Godswill Akpabio, former minister of Niger Delta affairs, also made the final list as the APC candidate for Akwa Ibom north-west.
