2023: CENI speaks out on documents allegedly altered in favor of Lawan, Akpabio
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied altering election documents in favor of Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former Niger Delta Affairs Minister Godswill Akpabio.
The duo's names were missing from the list of successfully nominated candidates submitted to INEC by the 18 political parties in June.
Having lost in their quest for the 2023 presidential ticket from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), MM. Lawan and Akpabio made efforts to claim the party senatorial tickets for senatoriales Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West. Districts, respectively.
While Bashir Machina and Udom Ekpoudom had presented themselves as candidates in the primaries supervised by INEC officials in their respective senatorial areas, the names of MM. Lawan and Akpabio, who did not contest the elections, were instead forwarded to the commission as candidates.
The acceptance of the names was justified by the REC of Akwa-Ibom INEC, Mike Igini, but the final decision currently rests with the court.
“INEC does not have the power to reject names submitted by political parties. Primaries are the sole prerogative of parties. abide by their own regulations, electoral law and the Constitution,” Mr. Igini said in a report published by PREMIUM TIMES.
However, a Tuesday news article said the INEC had backdated certified copies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries reports "to accommodate" Messrs. Lawan and Akpabio.
Although Mr. Akpabio won an organized replay in the area, there are no reports of a similar election held in Yobe where Mr. Machina in Yobe emerged victorious.
We have not backdated any documents – INECIn a statement by its spokesman, Festus Okoye, on Tuesday, the INEC denied tampering with or certifying any documents in favor of either of the two APC leaders.
The commission said it had adhered to its timetable and that there were no points in its timetables where the names of the individuals in question were published.
"The forms of the two personalities in question have not been released by the Commission. The Commission's decision has triggered legal actions which are still ongoing. It therefore defies logic and common sense to turn and submit doctored documents allegedly recognizing the duo as candidates while the case is clearly pending trial,” the statement read.
Mr. Okoye said the copy of the form uploaded to the online news platform as evidence was not properly verified and thus encouraged misinformation.
"As part of the ongoing court case, a law firm requested from the Commission a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the EC9 form submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a candidate for the Akwa Ibom North West Senate District, to which we are required to bind them by law. The Form was certified on July 15, 2022. Had a modicum of care been exercised by the promoters of the story, they would have seen the two Commission stamps with different dates on the Form. It is this Form that is now misinterpreted as the INEC endorsement.
"For the record, the Commission did not recognize either of the two personalities as a candidate for the Senate", explained Mr. Okoye.
He called for responsible reporting on the development just as he described the online platform's story as an unwarranted attack on the electorate.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied altering election documents in favor of Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former Niger Delta Affairs Minister Godswill Akpabio.
The duo's names were missing from the list of successfully nominated candidates submitted to INEC by the 18 political parties in June.
Having lost in their quest for the 2023 presidential ticket from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), MM. Lawan and Akpabio made efforts to claim the party senatorial tickets for senatoriales Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West. Districts, respectively.
While Bashir Machina and Udom Ekpoudom had presented themselves as candidates in the primaries supervised by INEC officials in their respective senatorial areas, the names of MM. Lawan and Akpabio, who did not contest the elections, were instead forwarded to the commission as candidates.
The acceptance of the names was justified by the REC of Akwa-Ibom INEC, Mike Igini, but the final decision currently rests with the court.
“INEC does not have the power to reject names submitted by political parties. Primaries are the sole prerogative of parties. abide by their own regulations, electoral law and the Constitution,” Mr. Igini said in a report published by PREMIUM TIMES.
However, a Tuesday news article said the INEC had backdated certified copies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries reports "to accommodate" Messrs. Lawan and Akpabio.
Although Mr. Akpabio won an organized replay in the area, there are no reports of a similar election held in Yobe where Mr. Machina in Yobe emerged victorious.
We have not backdated any documents – INECIn a statement by its spokesman, Festus Okoye, on Tuesday, the INEC denied tampering with or certifying any documents in favor of either of the two APC leaders.
The commission said it had adhered to its timetable and that there were no points in its timetables where the names of the individuals in question were published.
"The forms of the two personalities in question have not been released by the Commission. The Commission's decision has triggered legal actions which are still ongoing. It therefore defies logic and common sense to turn and submit doctored documents allegedly recognizing the duo as candidates while the case is clearly pending trial,” the statement read.
Mr. Okoye said the copy of the form uploaded to the online news platform as evidence was not properly verified and thus encouraged misinformation.
"As part of the ongoing court case, a law firm requested from the Commission a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the EC9 form submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a candidate for the Akwa Ibom North West Senate District, to which we are required to bind them by law. The Form was certified on July 15, 2022. Had a modicum of care been exercised by the promoters of the story, they would have seen the two Commission stamps with different dates on the Form. It is this Form that is now misinterpreted as the INEC endorsement.
"For the record, the Commission did not recognize either of the two personalities as a candidate for the Senate", explained Mr. Okoye.
He called for responsible reporting on the development just as he described the online platform's story as an unwarranted attack on the electorate.
Support the integrity and credibility journalism of PREMIUM TIMES Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy and a transparent government. For free and continued access to the best investigative journalism in the country, we ask that you consider providing modest support to this noble endeavour. By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you contribute to perpetuating relevant journalism and ensuring that it is free...What's Your Reaction?
