2023: Why we didn't release Akpabio, Lawan's names as candidates – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday explained its reluctance to publish the names of the real winners of the ruling APC senatorial candidates in two constituencies.

Controversially, the names of Senate President Ahmad Lawan, a former Niger Delta affairs minister, Godswill Akpabio, and two other expected candidates were missing from the candidate details released in late June.

Bashir Machina and Udom Ekpoudom emerged in the INEC-supervised Yobe North and Akwa-Ibom Northwest senatorial primaries, but the names of Messrs. Lawan and Akpabio were submitted by the APC to the commission.

Against speculation of bias against INEC by part of the public, the commission, in a statement on Saturday, said its action had been widely misjudged.

In the case of both constituencies, the commission said it had carried out its constitutionally mandated duties of overseeing political party finances, conventions, conventions and primaries.

INEC maintained its position in acknowledging reports from its state offices regarding APC senatorial elections in the affected regions and challenged aggrieved members to go to court.

"With respect to the Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senate District primaries, the Commission relies on follow-up reports received from our state offices.

"For this reason, the commission has not released the personal details of any candidate for the two precincts in contradiction to state reports.

“Currently, the Commission is funtus officio in both cases. Aggrieved parties are free to apply to the Federal High Court and seek relief in accordance with Section 285 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Sections 29 (5) and 84 ( 14) of the Electoral Law, 2022,” INEC spokesperson Festus Okoye said in the statement.

MM. Machina and Ekpoudom were duly recognized by the Yobe and Akwa-Ibom State offices of the commission at the time Messrs. Lawan and Akpabio were vigorously pursuing a chance to land the 2023 APC presidential ticket.

While Mr. Akpabio withdrew for the eventual winner of the presidential primary, Bola Tinubu, Mr. Lawan lost to the former Governor of Lagos State.

Given the controversies surrounding the released documents of some of the presidential, national assembly and gubernatorial candidates, INEC has received requests from Nigerians for Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the information of identification submitted by applicants.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr. Tinubu, his running mate, Kabiru Masari, and some other candidates failed to submit certain documents to the electoral body.

Mr. Okoye said on Friday that the Commission had processed 433 requests involving the certification of approximately 1.6 million pages of documents.

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