In Lagos State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has refuted rumors that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has barred some of its candidates from running in the general election of 2023.
The state party’s publicity secretary, Hakeem Amode, refuted the reports in a statement on Monday in Lagos, calling them a “figment of the opposition’s imagination.”
The PDP leadership in Lagos state awoke to the report that INEC had allegedly disqualified 21 of the party’s candidates in the state, attributing the report to our leader, Chief Bode George, with extreme humiliation.
“The PDP in Lagos state will like to assure all our candidates, our members and supporters that there is no such thing and the news is not true.
“We make bold to say that such news is a figment of imagination of mischief makers, indicating that the PDP leadership is more prepared now than ever before to win the general elections in Lagos state and Nigeria.
”We are ready to give Nigerians a new lease of life better than what is currently obtained. We cannot afford to give room for disqualification of the party’s candidates,” he said.
The spokesman maintained that INEC, in line with the Electoral Act, published the list of candidates for the 2023 general elections and PDP candidates for all elective seats were on the list.
Amode added that the information contained on INEC website as at press time has not changed, so this story is fake.
He warned that no one should fuel the ember of discord capable of demoralising its hardworking candidates who are putting everything into the project to rescue and re-engineer the governance of our dear state, Lagos.
Amode said that the PDP leadership is fully prepared to ensure that the wishes of the ordinary people of the state reflect in the results of the forthcoming elections.
“We are concluding arrangements to support INEC in the display of voters register and collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) which is scheduled to commence on Nov. 12 by mobilising voters.
“We urge all aggrieved member of the party to respect democratic tenets and follow due process in the expression of their agitation and not peddle information that is capable of putting the efforts of the party and its candidates into disrepute.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that reports in some sections of the media has it that 21 out of the 40 House of Assembly candidates of the Party for the 2023 elections were allegedly disqualified over controversies arising from its primaries.