False alarm: Lawan, Akpabio not recognised senatorial candidates — INEC

…Tasks media on responsible reportage

Abimbola Abatta and Ridwan Adekunle

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked the rumour making the rounds that it has accepted the nominations of Senate President Ahmed Lawan and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio as senatorial candidates for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial Districts respectively.

INEC was reacting to an online report, alleging that the Commission has doctored, backdated and certified documents to accommodate the nominations of the two senatorial candidates.

Nigerian NewsDirect reports that Lawan and Akpabio’s names were missing from the list of successfully nominated candidates submitted to INEC by the 18 political parties in June.

The duo, having failed in their efforts to clinch the 2023 Presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), are trying to claim the senatorial tickets despite the fact that they did not partake in the primary elections in their senatorial districts.

Meanwhile, Bashir Machina (Yobe North) and Udom Ekpoudom (Akwa Ibom North-West) had emerged as candidates in the primaries. But it was learnt that their names were not forwarded to INEC as candidates.

A media report on Tuesday had alleged that INEC backdated Certified True Copies of reports of the APC primaries “to accommodate” Lawan and Akpabio.

Debunking the allegations yesterday in a statement by INEC’s spokesperson, Festus Okoye, the Commission said it has not recognised either of the two personalities as a Senatorial candidate.

According to the Commission, what was misconstrued by the rumour-peddling online platform as INEC’s endorsement could have been easily fact-checked.

The statement read, “Not for the first time, our attention has been drawn to a story published by an online medium that the Commission has doctored, backdated and certified documents to accommodate the nominations emanating from Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts in respect of Senators Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Akpabio. Nothing can be further from the truth.

“As evidence of the alleged role played by the Commission, a certified true copy of Form 9C uploaded by their political party and received by the Commission on 17th June 2022 when the nomination portal closed was presented.

“For clarity, the Form EC9 (submission of names of candidates by political parties) is the form uploaded by parties on the INEC nomination portal. This is clearly indicated on the title of the Form which was received on 17th June 2022 when the portal closed.

“What follows is the publication of the personal particulars of nominated candidates which was done a week later. The forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the Commission. The decision of the Commission triggered legal action which are still ongoing. It therefore defies logic and common sense to go around and submit doctored documents purportedly recognising the duo as candidates when the matter is clearly sub-judice.

“As part of the ongoing case in Court, a law firm requested the Commission for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Form EC9 submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District which we are duty bound to oblige them under the law. The Form was certified on 15th July 2022.

“If minimum care has been exercised by the promoters of the story, they would have seen the two stamps of the Commission bearing different dates on the Form. It is this Form that is now misconstrued as INEC’s endorsement.

“For the record, the Commission has not recognised any of the two personalities as a Senatorial candidate.”

Okoye, therefore, called for responsible reportage as against the unwarranted attack on the Commission and its officials.

Meanwhile, Nigerian NewsDirect monitored some reactions to the controversy on the social media platform, Twitter.

According to @timi_Kolade21, “INEC is an unbiased umpire going by the last two elections. The fact that INEC gave room for political parties to change candidate does not necessarily mean that the outcome of the election will be manipulated. We shouldn’t major on minor.”

@JosiahLabi said, “They (INEC) didn’t need to wait for any pressure. They are supposed to take the submission from the party. It’s now left for the short-changed aspirants to go to court and get their mandate back.”

Also reacting to the development, @ChiamakaPeters3 said, “My worry is that often time such high-power news that has something to do with the high and mighty of this Nation will eventually become a reality. The Lawans and the Akpabios of this world will rather jump the ocean than being away from the corridors of power.”

@akhator15 said, “So what we saw was just to test how Nigerians will react. Please, don’t push Nigerians to the wall because you may not be able to control the reaction when they start. We love peace and we are very peaceful.”

On @holymusicality’s part, “Both Akpabio and Ahmed Lawan should even be investigated and imprisoned for this. It is gross misconduct and manipulation of process.”

For another tweep, @HonDistinguish, “INEC shouldn’t forget these two (Lawan and Akpabio) were Presidential aspirants under APC, at the same, Senatorial district contestants under the same party in the same primaries period. Ahmed Lawan and Akpabio should go and rest please.”

“I pray it stays this way, but reading the INEC statement, I noticed a court judgement can make that happen easily and we know how judgements are in this country. There is still that possibility of it happening. We wait still,” @obaroddy stated.

@shethall asked, “How can we trust these guys with the nation’s general election?”