The name of Senate President Ahmad Lawan was missing when the final list of senatorial candidates was published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mr Lawan who contested the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential ticket but lost to Bola Tinubu, a former Lagos governor, returned to contest for the Yobe North senatorial ticket won by Bashir Machina, an aspirant of the ruling party from the district.
All attempts to compel Mr Machina to relinquish the ticket to the top lawmaker failed as he continued to lay claim to the position despite the APC delisting his name and including Lawan in the list it submitted to the electoral body.
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State (Ebonyi South) and Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North West) who were all presidential aspirants of the ruling party had similar problems but their names appeared on the final list.
In a statement by its spokesman, Festus Okoye, the commission explained that it included the names of Messrs Umahi and Akpabio in compliance to different court orders mandating it to do so.
INEC neither included the name or Mr Lawan or Machina in the final list, an instance signaling that the ruling party has no candidate for the position.
