2023 Election: Why We Didn’t Add Lawan, Akpabio Names- INEC

The Independent national  Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed why it refused to add the names of the senate president, Ahmed Lawan, and Godswill Akpabio to the list of candidates for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West senatorial districts respectively in the 2023 general election.

 

Newsonline reports that the clarification from the electoral body, INEC, followed reports in the media that the body succumb to persuations form the ruling APC Federal government to add the names of Lawan and Akpabio.

 

In a statement of Tuesday night, INEC described as allegation as sub-judice, stating that the issues of adding the name of Akpabio and Lawan were already in the court and INEC could not have adjusted the said form.

 

INEC further stated that was alleged to be adjusting was the Form certified on the 15 of July before the deadline for the submission of nominees’ names by parties on the 17 of July.

 

In a statement released by INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, the electoral body stated that with the matter in court it has no right to add the names of Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Apkabio.

 

The statement read in part, “As evidence of the alleged role played by the commission, a certified true copy of Form 9C uploaded by their political party and received by the commission on June 17, 2022 when the nomination portal closed was presented.

 

‘’For clarity, the Form EC9 (submission of names of candidates by political parties) is the form uploaded by parties on the INEC nomination portal. This is clearly indicated on the title of the Form which was received on 17th June 2022 when the portal closed.

 

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“What follows is the publication of the personal particulars of nominated candidates which was done a week later. The Forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the Commission.

 

“The decision of the commission triggered legal actions, which are still ongoing. It, therefore, defies logic and common sense to go around and submit doctored documents purportedly recognizing the duo as candidates when the matter is clearly sub-judice.”

 

“As part of the ongoing case in Court, a law firm requested the commission for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Form EC9 submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its candidate for Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district which we are duty bound to oblige them under the law.

 

‘’The Form was certified on 15th July 2022. If minimum care has been exercised by the promoters of the story, they would have seen the two stamps of the Commission bearing different dates on the Form. It is this Form that is now misconstrued as INEC’s endorsement.

 

“For the record, the Commission has not recognized any of the two personalities as a Senatorial candidate.

 

“We call for responsible reportage as against the unwarranted attack on the Commission and its officials over a matter than can be easily fact-checked.”

 

Recall that the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who currently represents Yobe North and former Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, from Akwa Ibom North-West, had lost out of plans to return to the Senate next year as INEC said the duo did not participate in the respective senatorial primary elections.

 

The duo, Lawan and Akpabio were among the presidential aspirants in the APC presidential primary elections.