Again, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senate President Ahmad Lawan have been rejected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as candidates for the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming 2023 polls.
Basic Facts
- Both Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Akpabio were previously in the race for the APC presidential primaries, which was won by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
- While, Akpabio stepped down for Bola Tinubu at the night of the primary election, Lawan slogged it out till the last moment.
- They both returned to their states to lay claim to the senatorial ticket of the APC in the respective districts.
What We Know
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had following the conclusion of the primaries of the political parties contesting for the 2023 elections, published the names of the candidates of the parties for the respective elections.
This publication included the names of the senatorial candidates of all the political parties in all the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
However, the name of Godswill Akpabio, the former 2-time governor of Akwa Ibom state and also a senator was conspicuously missing. Also missing was the name of Senator Ahmed Lawan, the current president of the senate, who has been serving in the legislative arm of government since 1999.
Both men had after losing out in the APC presidential primaries claimed to have regained the APC senatorial ticket for their districts, which they held through proxy, while contesting for the presidential ticket.
Both of them were designated as senatorial candidates by their party, the APC after losing the APC presidential primary contest. Their names were both submitted to INEC for recognition as flagbearers.
INEC in turn rejected this claim and maintained neither Akpabio nor Lawan participated in the senatorial primaries elections that were monitored by the commission, and therefore cannot be reorganized as candidates.
Recently, there were rumors that the two had finally received recognition from the Commission on Tuesday.
The commission responded by denying the allegations in a statement titled “Spurious Allegations in Respect of Nomination of Candidates in Some Senatorial Districts.”
In the statement that was signed by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner for INEC, the Commission stated that the case was still pending in court and that it would maintain the status quo.
Notable Quotes
The statement by INEC’s spokesman says in part, “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”
“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”
APC Dares INEC
Despite this consistent position of INEC, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has insisted that the embattled former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, will contest the 2023 election as the APC candidate.
The state chapter of the APC had earlier insisted that Akpabio`s name will be published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s candidate for the Akwa Ibom North-West District.
This position of the party was disclosed on Saturday by Iniobong John, the Chairman of the APC Media Committee Akwa Ibom State.
He assured, saying that, “There’s absolutely no cause for alarm, nothing to worry about. Reassured that Mr Akpabio will be elected senator for Ikot Ekpene (Akwa Ibom North-West) come 2023.”
Takeaway
Clariform reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission have taking a very strict stand in the operation of the provisions of the new Electoral Act 2022, which gives the Commission numerous powers to regulate the affairs of elections in the country.
In exercising its statutory powers, the Commission is seeking to curtail the excesses of the political parties, irrespective of the power of incumbency enjoyed by the party in power currently.
In the final analysis, Clariform holds the position that this may be the end of the road for the two aspirants – Lawan and Akpabio to return to the senate come 2023, as INEC have taking a firm stand against the process through which they emerged as APC candidates.
A check of the Electoral Act 2022 seem to back the position of INEC, and unless there is a contrary position or interpretation of the relevant positions of the Act, then the fate of Akpabio and Lawan appears to be sealed.
Catch-up
While Akpabio and Lawan were in Abuja contesting for the APC presidential ticket, their party conducted a success senatorial primaries in the respective senatorial districts in Akwa Ibom and Yobe States.
Instead of Akpabio Udom Ekpoudom, a retired deputy Inspector General of Police emerged as the APC senatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West. While for Lawan, Bashir Machina emerged as APC senatorial candidate for Yobe North. Both senatorial primary elections were monitored by INEC.
Nevertheless, APC, instead, submitted the names of Senator Akpabio and Senator Lawan to the Commission in place of the actual winners, which INEC witnessed their elections.
Clariform recalls that the governor of Ebonyi State who had the same fate as the duo of Akpabio and Lawan, through some distinctive circumstances got a favourable court order that resulted in a fresh primary election.
According to the Chairman of the Electoral Panel for APC Ebonyi South Senatorial district election, Prof. Emmanuel Adebayo, Governor Umahi scored the highest number of votes and was declared the winner of the election, amassing a total of 268 votes out of 275 cast in the election, while 7 were invalid.
By the outcome of the fresh primaries, Governor Umahi has for now escaped the current fate of Senator Lawan and Senator Akpabio. It is however, not completely uhuru for the Ebonyi State governor, as his albatross – Ann Agom Eze is still in the Appeal Court contesting the judgement that allowed the fresh election.
