The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has asked persons who are aggrieved over the conduct of their party’s primaries to seek redress in court.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, had been listed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as candidates for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West senatorial districts, respectively.
But in the list published by the commission, Lawan and Akpabio’s names were missing.
Their exclusion heightened the controversy surrounding the Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West APC senatorial tickets.
In a statement issued on Saturday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Vote Education, Festus Okoye, said the commission excluded the names Lawan and Akpabio as candidates for both senatorial districts and stands by reports on the primaries from its state officers.
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to speculations circulating online on the outcome of some of the recent primaries conducted by political parties and related issues. In particular, allegations intended to impugn the integrity of the Commission have been made in respect of the Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senatorial Districts.
“To set the record straight, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria mandates 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.
“Right now, the Commission is funtus officio in the two cases. Aggrieved parties are at liberty 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,” he said.
Okoye added that INEC’s staff have been working hard, including weekends, to meet the deluge of requests received on the on the issuance of certified true copies (CTCs) of documents.
According to him,INEC had processed 433 requests as of Friday.
“Many of them are awaiting collection at the INEC headquarters by some of the same applicants complaining of delay in issuance of the CTCs,” he added.
