Lawan, Akpabio, Umahi three of President Muhammadu Buhari`s men are now fighting the political battle of their lives and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have seen to that.
INEC on Friday released the names and particulars of the candidates vying for various elective positions at the federal level in the February 2023 general elections.
Conspicuously missing in the said list, were the names of the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, the former governor of Rivers State, Mr Godwill Akpabio and the current governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi.
The electoral umpire did not provide any reason for this. The list was released by INEC without explanation on why these Buhari`s men were not included, even after they were submitted to the commission by their party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Later the same Friday, the INEC spokesman, Mr Festus Okoye explained that these names were excluded from the INEC list of candidates in the elections because they were not validly elected by the APC, which directly questions the “honour” of Abdulahi Adamu, the APC National Chairman.
Therefore, their emergence as the APC candidates did not follow due process and therefore did not fulfil the requirement of the law for becoming an elected party flagbearer and a candidate for any of the positions they are vying for at the national level.
Mr Godwill Akpabio, recently left his cabinet position to contest in the last APC primary for the presidential ticket, but later stepped down for Senator Bola Tinubu, who went ahead to win the APC presidential ticket in a landslide.
He was reportedly lobbying for a return to the cabinet alongside others who were forced to resign after giving a deadline to do so by President Buhari, if they were going to contest in the APC primaries.
This expected return to Buhari`s cabinet is now obviously seriously threatened by a new list of cabinet nominees sent to the Senate for confirmation by President Buhari
Akpabio is now seeking to return to the Senate where he also once was. To do so he sort to clinch the APC senatorial ticket for his constituency in Cross River State, even after the primary election was already done without his participation, in accordance to INEC electoral guideline for the primaries.
Nevertheless, the APC party hierarchy, which favours Senator Akpabio submitted his name to INEC as the APC candidate. This, the electoral umpire did not agree with because the Commission did not witness any validly organized party primary where Akpabio was elected.
This was also the case for Mr David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State. Governor Umahi was also a candidate at the last APC presidential primary, but unlike Akpabio he fought to the last, though unsuccessfully.
Of particular significance is the case of the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, whose candidacy seems to be suffering attacks from two angles, INEC objection and the rumored Bola Tinubu`s opposition to his return to the senate.
Like Akpabio and Umahi, the Senate President also contested for the APC presidential ticket.
However, unlike the other two, Lawan was the one who really withstood and fought very had to dislodge the eventual winner of the APC presidential ticket, Senator Bola TInubu.
He was the one who really threatened the “lifelong ambition” of Jagaban to become Nigeria`s president, and this did not go unnoticed by the APC flagbearer, who seems out for vengeance.
Lawan now faces stiff opposition from Bashir Machina, who became Lawan`s albatross after winning the ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Yobe North Senatorial District, which the Senate president currently represents at the Senate.
Bashir contested and won the ticket unopposed and have refused to step down for Lawan, who now wants the APC senatorial ticket after losing the APC presidential ticket to Tinubu.
Notwithstanding these controversial circumstances, these men, Akpabio, Umahi and Lawan were submitted to INEC by the Abdulahi Adamu led APC.
The APC National Chairman, Senator Abdulahi Adamu vowed on his “honour” that Lawan participated in the APC primary, even without providing any evidence. Now, INEC says that this is not true, meaning that Adamu is a liar, and thereby trashing Abdulahi Adamu so called “honour”.
The INEC spokesman have now advised the aggrieved aspirants, especially those who actually participated in the valid APC primaries, but whose name was removed by the Abdulahi Adamu led APC to approach the Federal High Court to seek redress.
INEC says that considering the refusal/failure of Abdulahi Adamu` APC to submit their names to the Commission, it is only by the order of a competent court can their names be included in the list as candidates for the election.
Therefore, as the battle rages on, the constituencies these individuals each seek to represent, which currently has no candidate on the INEC published list of candidates stands the risk of not fielding a candidate in the election under APC.
