INEC also disclosed that the distribution of voter cards registered in 2025 in Ebonyi State has commenced
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the name of Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as one of the 12 contestants cleared to participate in the 2027 governorship election in the state.
The final list was made available on Sunday by the Head of the Department of Voter Education and Publicity at the electoral commission, Oko Victor Ndubuisi, and later published at the commission’s state headquarters in Abakaliki and across the 13 local government area offices.
Also published to take part in the upcoming gubernatorial poll in Ebonyi are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ifeanyichukwuma Odii, and his Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) counterpart, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu.
Other male candidates cleared to contest the seat include Eze Oko Splendour of the Labour Party (LP), Ubasinachi Chimeremeze of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Ukpai Mba Udeh of the ADC, Okorie Ogochukwu of the ADP, Ojeogu Ifeanyi Stephen of the NNPP, and Agbo Kingsley Obinna of the SDP.
The list also features three female governorship candidates: Nwankwo Martha Ebere of the Action People’s Party (APP), Nwinyinya Juliet of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Nwodom Lucy Chinwe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
In addition, four women made the final list as deputy governorship candidates. However, no person living with a disability made the cut.
Meanwhile, a total of 238 candidates have been listed to contest the 24 seats in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.
Of this number, 210 are male candidates, while 28 are female. The list also showed that no person living with a disability was among the Assembly candidates.
ALSO READ: Atiku displaying economic illiteracy with fuel subsidy plan — Presidency
The political parties with candidates in the Assembly election include the APC, PDP, NDC, Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Action Democratic Party (ADP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied People’s Movement (APM), New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Labour Party, APGA, APP, DLA, Action Alliance (AA), and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
According to the published list, the distribution of candidates across the parties is as follows: AA, two; APM, 15; ADC, 24; ADP, 24; APC, 24; APGA, 13; APP, two; DLA, eight; LP, 14; NDC, 24; NNPP, 16; PDP, 24; NRM, 15; SDP, 24; PRP, three; and YPP, two.
The figures indicate that the APC, PDP, NDC, and SDP have candidates contesting all 24 Assembly seats in the state.
Regarding the distribution of voter cards registered in 2025, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mrs Pauline Onyeka, disclosed to journalists that the process has commenced.
She added that the exercise, which started on the 9th of this month, will last for one week.
“We have started the distribution of voter cards that were registered in 2025. The distribution will last for one week until the 15th of this month. It runs between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm every day at the Registration Area levels.
“After that, on the 16th, the distribution will be done at the local government level. We are equally displaying claims and objections, after which there will be the final display of the voter register,” Onyeka said.
