AKPABIO CANDIDACY IS STRANGE, INEC MAKES OFFICIAL STATEMENT

AKPABIO CANDIDACY IS STRANGE, INEC MAKES OFFICIAL STATEMENT|Ojaomonews

June 15, 2022

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that its report on the Akwa Ibom northwest senatorial ticket is final.

The Punch reports that the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini said that the senatorial ticket for the district cannot be reopened again.

INEC has said that it is not going back on its decision over Akpabio's senatorial candidacy. Photo: Akan Essien

He also said that the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has nothing to do about it.

Akpabio, who was a former governor in Akwa Ibom state had emerged the winner of the primary election conducted by the All Progressives Congress in Ikot Ekpene.

The ex-governor polled 478 votes out of 512 accredited delegates for the election.

However, INEC has said that the primary that led to the emergence of Akpabio is strange to the commission and unknown to any law.

Igini during an interview on Comfort FM confirmed that the May 27, primary, which produced a former deputy inspector-general of Police, Udum Ekpoudum (retired.) subsists.

According to Igini, the said primary was neither cancelled nor rendered inconclusive.

A bunch of Nollywood fantasy

Further describing Akpabio's emergence as nothing but a “Nollywood fantasy", Igini added that what he knew about Akpabio was that he was the presidential aspirant for the APC who stepped down for Bola Tinubu at the presidential primary of the party.

His words:

“By virtue of Section 31 of the 2022 Electoral Act, the only way somebody can be replaced in any form is that we no longer have substitution by political party. What you have now is withdrawal by individual or nominee and or death."

“The law is not saying you should go and kill people so that you can have yourself on the ballot. No. The law is saying that those who have emerged at all levels up to the presidential level, you can decide that you are no longer interested."

"You can write an application signed by yourself, delivered to your party who will now deliver to INEC, but nobody can shave the political head of another person in his or her absence."