No fewer than 16 parties and governorship candidates are contesting for the governorship election in Lagos in the March 11, 2023 election, according to the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday.
The list showed the particulars of each of
the candidates and their running mate including their age and educational
qualifications.
The running mate to the candidate of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and popular Nollywood artist, Akindele Ayotunde
Olufunke aged 44 submitted only First School Leaving Certificate (FLSC) and
West Africa Senior School Certificate (WASSC) to the INEC as her educational
qualifications.
The PDP governorship candidate, Adediran
Azeez Olajide, 44, presented FSLC, WASSC and Masters of Business Administration
(MBA) certificates.
The list pasted at the notice board of INEC
in Lagos along Birrel Yaba also included Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as the
Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate.
Controversy had initially dogged his
emergence as the governorship candidate of the state as “the suspended
Chairman” of the party, Mr. Ifagbemi Awamaridi claimed he is the authentic
candidate of the party.
Awamaridi had dragged Labour Party (LP) and
INEC to court to seek an injunction restraining the defendants from replacing
him as the governorship candidate.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, 39, was listed among
15 other governorship candidates with the INEC publication indicating that he
is contesting with First School Leaving Certificate and a degree. He is the
youngest among them. His running mate is Oyefusi Abiodun Adetola.
The incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu,
57, is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
contesting with First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), BSc. and MBA while his
running mate is Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, also aged 57 and contesting with Primary
School certificate, WASC, Bsc., Msc. and PhD.
Only Hamzat, the current Deputy Governor
presented PhD, being the highest qualification any candidate would present.
Other parties contesting for the
governorship of the state include Accord Party with Dickson Hakeem Olaogun as
candidate; AA (Balogun Tope Abdulrazaq); AAC (Olayiwola Hakeem Olajide, ADC
(Doherty Olufunsho Adeshina), ADP (Bamidele Ishola); APM (Kupoliyi Funmilayo),
APP(Adeyemi Abiola Roseline), BP (Oluwo Olawale Wasiu), NNPP(Jim-Kamal
Olanrewaju Olalekan), NRM (Braithwaite Akinwumi Ishola), SDP(Uthman Olakunle
Taofeek), YPP (Ajayi Wasiu Adebayo) and ZLP has Adenipebi Mode Adekunle as
candidate.