The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has listed Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom Northwest but did not name the party’s candidate for Yobe North. This was contained in the list of candidates for the election released by INEC on Tuesday evening. Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio, had contested the APC presidential primary but withdrew for eventual winner Bola Tinubu on the day of the exercise. Since then, his candidature for the senatorial election has been in question but a Federal High Court in Abuja last week ordered the electoral commission to recognise the former governor as the APC flagbearer for Akwa Ibom Northwest.
In his judgment, Justice Emeka Nwite faulted INEC’s non-recognition of the former minister, maintaining that the electoral umpire is bound by the provisions of Section 29 subsection three, of the Electoral Act to publish only the personal particulars of the candidate of the first plaintiff for the Akwa-Ibom North/West Senatorial District elections in the person of the second plaintiff, Akpabio, as received from the first plaintiff. However, in Yobe North, INEC did not list any candidate for the ruling APC where Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Bashir Machina are jostling for the ticket. Like Akpabio, the lawmaker contested the APC presidential primary with Machina winning the party’s senatorial ticket for the district, but Machina’s emergence has been debated as he claimed there was pressure on him to relinquish the ticket to Lawan.
Chidozie Chima | September 12, 2024
