The All Progressives Congress (APC) will not participate in the National Assembly elections in Rivers and Zamfara states as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has delisted its candidates in the two states. INEC released the official list of presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates on its website on Thursday in line with its timetable. The commission will release those for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly on January 31. The names of the candidates were revealed in a list signed by INEC secretary, Rose Orianran-Anthony. Two factions of the APC loyal to Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, and a serving senator, Magnus Abe, conducted parallel congresses in Rivers with the dispute eventually ending in court. While Mr Ameachi’s faction produced Tonye Cole as its governorship candidate, Mr Abe’s faction produced the senator as its candidate. The national secretariat of the APC, however, recognised Mr Cole and submitted his name to INEC as the party’s candidate. Earlier this month, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt nullified both the primaries conducted by the two factions. The court, presided by Kolawole Omotosho, also restrained INEC from recognising any candidate of the APC for the 2019 general elections in the state. Mr Omotosho declared that both primaries were held during the pendency of a suit at the Rivers State High Court. According to the court, the APC conducted the primaries in gross disrespect of the pending suit before the Rivers State High Court. In the case of Zamfara, INEC barred the APC from fielding candidates in for failing to meet up the deadline for conducting primaries. Despite this order from INEC, the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, said the party will field candidates for all elective positions in the state in the 2019 general elections. Mr Oshiomhole claimed the party adopted consensus to pick candidates in Zamfara, which he said was a valid way of selecting candidates. The All Progressives Congress (APC) will not participate in the National Assembly elections in Rivers and Zamfara states as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has delisted its candidates in the two states. INEC released the official list of presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates on its website on Thursday in line with its timeta