By Divine Sam

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Labour Party (LP), and Action Democratic Party (ADP) have confirmed that they met the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) October 24 deadline to address the omission of some candidates from its published list.

The affected parties said they had completed the necessary corrections within the period stipulated by the electoral commission, although uncertainty remains over the official status of some candidates whose names were missing from the list.

The omissions affected several political aspirants, including governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, as well as approximately six or seven House of Assembly candidates.

PDP National Organising Secretary, Captain Umar Bature (retd.), confirmed that his party met the deadline in a response to Vanguard on Sunday.

“Yes, we met the deadline since,” he said.

The PDP candidates affected by the omission include Oladipupo Adebutu, who is contesting the Ogun governorship election, and Professor Isa Pantami, the party’s governorship candidate in Gombe State.

NDC, ADP Confirm Compliance

The NDC leadership also confirmed that it had complied with INEC’s directive to correct the names of candidates left out of the published list.

When contacted by Vanguard, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, gave a brief confirmation, saying, “ Yes, we did.”

Similarly, ADP National Chairman, Engineer Yabagi Yusuf Sani, said his party had met the commission’s deadline.

Speaking with Vanguard, he stated, “we did. Thanks a lot.”

Labour Party Says It Remains in Good Standing

The Labour Party also maintained that it had fulfilled the necessary requirements concerning the correction of candidates’ names and the replacement of candidates.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said the LP remained in good standing with INEC and expressed confidence in the prospects of its candidates in the forthcoming general elections.

His words: “The Labour Party is in good standing with INEC, including on matters relating to the correction of names and replacement of candidates,” adding that the party is confident and looks forward to a successful outing for all its candidates in the forthcoming general elections.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were also among the opposition parties affected by the omissions.

Attention Turns to INEC’s Clarification

Despite the assurances from the affected parties, INEC is yet to provide further clarification on the status of some omitted candidates, particularly NDC’s John Upan and ADC’s Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo in Cross River State.

Ambassador Toyo told Vanguard that she had completed all the required steps before the deadline but was still waiting for the commission to publish its decision.

“They gave us the deadline of October 24 which was Saturday and I had done all that they asked for but they have not brought out any information. Let’s wait for them”

When contacted, the Head of INEC’s Voter Education in Cross River State, Mr Osaro Aisen, explained that the matter was being handled at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja and involved legal considerations.

He said: “The whole thing is handled from Abuja and it is a legal matter. Let’s see what will come forth tomorrow (Monday).

“I cannot give you a categorical answer now till tomorrow.”

With the deadline now past, attention has shifted to INEC for an official update on the affected candidates. Until the commission clarifies their status, questions remain over whether all the omitted aspirants will be reflected on the final list ahead of the forthcoming elections.