The nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday released the list of governorship candidates in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi urging residents in the three states to scrutinise the final list of candidates for the Nov. 11 election and challenge any false claims by any of the candidates.

The National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye Esq, made this known in a statement in Abuja.

He said that INEC is set to publish the personal particulars of the candidates participating in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi governorship election.

Mr. Okoye who said personal particulars of candidates participating in the election in the three states have been published said that the publication will be done in the the state headquarters and local government offices in the three states in line with the provisions of Section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

According to him, all 18 political parties nominated candidates for the Kogi governorship election, while 17 parties sponsored candidates for Bayelsa and Imo States.

“In particular, any aspirant who participated in his/her party’s primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination at the Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022,”Mr Okoye stressed.

INEC had on October 25, 2022, released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the three off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, lmo and Kogi scheduled to hold on Nov. 11.

Political parties conducted their primaries as required by law and uploaded the names and personal particulars of their candidates and running mates to the INEC candidate nomination portal by the deadline of 6pm on May 5.

Okoye said that all the political parties sponsoring candidates for the three elections have submitted the duly completed Forms EC9 containing personal particulars supported by sworn affidavits as well as EC9B containing the names of their candidates.

Some of the candidates in Kogi State include Ahmed Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Senator Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP),Mr. Adejo Okeme of the Labour Party( LP) and Mr.Musa Mubarak of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)

In Bayelsa State, Binalayefa Joshua Osuluku of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) won the party’s primary,Gov. Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Mr. Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ,Mr Udengs Eradiri of the Labour Party (LP) among others.

Some of the candidates in Imo State include Gov. Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC)Senator Athan Achonu of the Labour Party ( LP),Mr. Samuel Anyawu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Mr. Obinna Ekwebelem of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) among others.