The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sealed the fate of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, as well as Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, respecting the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
This was contained in a press statement issued by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye Esq., dated Saturday, July 9.
It could be recalled that , on June 24, reported that INEC stated that Senator Lawan, Governor Umahi and Senator Akpabio were disqualified from contesting the senatorial election in 2023.
INEC said that they did not qualify because they did not emerge from valid party primary elections, hence, their names were missing on the Commission’s list of names and particulars of candidates.
Mr. Okoye frowned at “speculations circulating online on the outcome of some of the recent primaries conducted by political parties and related issues”.
He referred, in particular, to allegations intended to impugn the integrity of the Commission in respect of the Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senatorial Districts where Senators Lawan and Akpabio hailed from respectively.
Setting the record straight in the statement entitled “Clarification on issues relating to candidate nomination and release of certified true copies of documents“, the INEC National Commissioner referred to the Nigerian Constitution.
He said the Constitution mandated the Commission to monitor the organization and operation of political parties, including their finances, conventions, congresses and party primaries.
“In line with its constitutional and legal obligations, the Commission deployed monitors to the various constituencies and received reports of such exercise.
“In relation to the primaries for the Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senatorial Districts, the Commission stands by the monitoring reports received from our state offices.
“For this reason, the Commission did not publish the personal particulars of any candidate for the two constituencies at variance with the State reports,” Okoye noted.
He said that right now, the Commission is funtus officio in the two cases and urged the aggrieved parties to approach the Federal High Court and seek redress as provided in section 285 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and sections 29(5) and 84(14) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Respecting the issuance of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents, he said that the staff of the Commission have been working hard, including weekends, to meet the deluge of requests received.
He said that as at Friday, 8th July, 2022, the Commission has processed 433 requests involving the certification of one million, six hundred and sixty-two thousand, seven hundred and seventy-six (1,662,776) pages of documents.
“Many of them are awaiting collection at the INEC Headquarters by some of the same applicants complaining of delay in issuance of the CTCs.
“Section 29 (4) of the Electoral Act provides that any person may apply to the Commission for a copy of nomination form, affidavit, and any other document submitted by a candidate at an election and the Commission shall, upon payment of a prescribed fee, issue such person with a certified copy of document within 14 days.
“Persons applying for the CTC of documents should endeavor to act timely and within the ambit of the law.
“The Commission will continue to uphold the integrity of the electoral process, including the deepening of the deployment of technology to enhance the credibility of elections,” Okoye added.
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