The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the full list of the governorship and State House of Assembly candidates for the general elections.

Rivers and Zamfara states All Progressives Congress (APC) will not be part of the governorship and House of Assembly elections slated for March 2.

The party’s candidates’ names are missing on the list of those who will run in the elections released last night by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Two weeks ago, the commission also omitted names of APC candidates in the National Assembly final list of candidates.

Seventy-nine of the candidates are women. Many of them are from Kano and Delta states.

The commission resolved the controversy over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State in favour of Senator Buruji Kashamu. The senator and another party chieftain and House of Representatives member, Ladi Adebutu, were battling for the ticket. INEC said it chose Kashamu based on a court judgment.

The commission also resolved the crisis over the APC governorship candidate in Abia State in favour of Uche Ogah, who battled Chief Ikechi Emenike for the ticket.

For Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu is on the list as governorship candidate of the APC. The PDP has Mr Jimi Agbaje as its governorship candidate. The two are seen as the major contenders. Some of the governorship candidates in Oyo State are Adebayo Adelabu (APC), Seyi Makinde (PDP) and Adebayo Alao-Akala (ADP).

First term governors on the list are Umar Ganduje (Kano, APC), Nyesom Wike (PDP, Rivers), Emmanuel Udom (PDP, Akwa Ibom), Ben Ayade (Cross River PDP), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto PDP), Samuel Ortom (Benue PDP), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna APC), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta PDP), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu PDP), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina APC) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia PDP).

Others are Dave Umahi (Ebonyi PDP), Sani Bello (Niger APC), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi APC), Ishiaku Darius (Taraba PDP), Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi APC), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau APC) and Bindow Jubrilla (Adamawa APC).

Some other candidates who made the list are: Umaru Ahmadu (Adamawa PDP), Nsima Udo Ekere (Akwa Ibom APC), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom PDP), Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed (Bauchi PDP), Emmanuel Jime (Benue APC), Baba Gana Umara (Borno APC), Mohammed Alkali Imam (Borno PDP), Owan Enoh John (Cross River APC), Great Ovedje Ogboru (Delta APC), Sunday Oji Ogbuoji (Ebonyi APC), Ayogu Eze (Enugu APC), Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe APC), Nafada Usman Bayero (Gombe PDP) and Uzodinma Hope Odidika (Imo APC).

Also on the list are: Ihedioha Emeka (Imo PDP), Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa APC), Aminu Ibrahim Ringim (Jigawa PDP), Isa Mohammad Ashiru (Kaduna PDP), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano PDP), Garba Yakubu Lado (Katsina PDP), Isa Mohammed Galadu (Kebbi PDP), Abdulrahman Abbulrazaq (Kwara APC), Razak Atunwa (Kwara PDP), Umar Mohammed Nasko (Niger PDP), Adedapo Abiodun (Ogun APC), Akinlade Adekunle Abdulkabir (Ogun APM), Nwosu Uche (Imo AA) and Jeremiah Timbut Useni (Plateau PDP).

Governorship elections are not holding in Ondo, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Osun, Edo, Kogi and Anambra states.

THE MAJOR CANDIDATES, STATE-BY-STATE

ABIA

Alex Otti, APGA

Ogah Samson, APC

Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, PDP

ADAMAWA

Mohammed Jibrilla, APC

Umaru Ahmadu, PDP

AKWA IBOM

Nsima Udo Ekere, APC

Udom Emmanuel, PDP

BAUCHI

Mohammed Abubakar, APC

Bala Mohammed, PDP

BENUE

Emmanuel Jime, APC

Samuel Ortom, PDP

BORNO

Baba Gana Umara, APC

Mohammed Imam, PDP

CROSS RIVER

Owan Enoh John, APC

Ben Ayade, PDP

DELTA

Great Ovedje Ogboru, APC

Ifeanyi Okowa, PDP

EBONYI

Sunday Oji Ogbuoji, APC

David Umahi Nweze, PDP

ENUGU

Ayogu Eze, APC

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, PDP

GOMBE

Mohammed Yahaya, APC

Nafada Usman Bayero, PDP

IMO

Ifeanyi Ararume, APGA

Uzodinma Hope, APC

Ihedioha Emeka, PDP

JIGAWA

Mohammed Abubakar, APC

Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, PDP

KADUNA

Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, APC

Isa Mohammad Ashiru, PDP

KANO

Ganduje Umar, APC

Abba Kabir Yusuf, PDP

KATSINA

Aminu Bello Masari, APC

Garba Yakubu Lado, PDP

KEBBI

Atiku Bagudu, APC

Isa Mohammed Galadu, PDP

KWARA

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, APC

Razak Atunwa, PDP

LAGOS

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, APC

Jimi Agbaje, PDP

NASARAWA

Audu Alhaji Sule, APC

David Emmanuel Ombudagu, PDP

NIGER

Sani Abubakar Bello, APC

Umar Mohammed Nasko, PDP

OGUN

Adedapo Abiodun, APC

Adekunle Akinlade, AMP

Dimeji Bankole, ADP

Buruji Kashamu, PDP

OYO

Adelabu Adebayo Adekola, APC

Oluseyi Makinde, PDP

PLATEAU

Simon Bako Lalong, APC

Jeremiah Timbut Useni, PDP

SOKOTO

Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, APC

Tambuwal Aminu Waziri, PDP

TARABA

Abubakar Sani Danladi, APC

Darius Dickson Ishaku, PDP

YOBE

Mai Mala, APC

Umar Iliya Damaggum, PDP

ZAMFARA

Bello Mohammed M, PDP

•Largely based on a report by The Nation.