INEC Denies Recognising Lawan, Akpabio As Senatorial Candidates

INEC Denies Recognising Lawan, Akpabio As Senatorial Candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has denied a media report that it had since accorded recognition to Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Honourable Godswill Akpabio, as the senatorial candidates for Yobe North and Akwa-Ibom North West, respectively.

Checks revealed that the electoral umpire had maintained that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no candidate for Yobe North as the party failed to present Bashir Machina who won its primary as a candidate.

In Akwa-Ibom, both the former minister, Akpabio and former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udom Udo Ekpoudom, have consistently laid claim to the party ticket for Akwa Ibom North West with the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Iginni proclaiming Ekpoudom as the winner of primary monitored by INEC.

Ekpoudom said he duly participated in the Akwa Ibom North West APC Senatorial District Primary Election held on May 27, 2022, and won in line with the 2023 Election Timetable and Guideline.

The former minister on the other hand said he won convincingly at a separate rerun primary at the instance of the APC national secretariat.

But Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in a statement on Tuesday dismissed the report by the online platform as misleading and unfounded.

Okoye maintained that at no time did INEC publish the particulars of the senate president and former minister of Niger Delta Affairs as senatorial candidates.

“The forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the commission,” he declared.

The INEC national commissioner further disclosed that “for the record, the commission has not recognised any of the two personalities as senatorial candidates.”