The immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has described as laughable seeing people jubilate on social media over the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude his name from the senatorial race.
INEC had in its published list last Friday removed the names of Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and David Umahi, Ebonyi State Governor as senatorial candidates for the 2023 general elections.
Akpabio, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), contested the June 7 APC presidential primary, but stepped down for the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, who emerged as the presidential candidate of the party.
Read also: Lawan, Akpabio, Umahi missing in INEC’s published list
But on June 9, the former minister went and contested in what he called ‘re-rerun’ primary in his Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District in a controversial APC senatorial primary which he “won” with more than 400 votes.
Reacting, Mr. Mike Igini, Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, declared that the ‘re-run’ by Akpabio as illegal as the first primary was not cancelled, claiming that DIG Udom Ekpoudom (retd), a Senatorial aspirant, ‘won’ the race monitored by his INEC.
Straightnews could not authenticate if Akpabio had bought nomination form and expression of interest on time as well as giving INEC a 21-day notice in line with Electoral Act, 2022 to monitor the June 9 primary said to have been held at Skills Acquisition Centre, Ikot Ekpene.
Akpabio’s campaign Committee reacts
“The Senator Godswill Akpabio Senatorial Campaign Committee views as laughable the frenzy on the social media alleging that Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON, has been disqualified from the senatorial race of North West Senatorial District,” Mr Akpabio’s campaign organisation said in a statement on Saturday.
”The jubilation by opponents is simply expressive of the pall of fear the advent of Senator Akpabio into the race has cast upon his opponents.
”The actions of Akpabio’s opponents and traducers seem to be ignorant of the fact that the opinion of an INEC officer especially when it fails to address a matter with cognizance to law/merits cannot be deemed with any note of finality, ’’the committee noted.
According to the committee, ”The senatorial ambition of Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON, met all parameters of the Electoral Act and the Constitution, giving room for any erroneous exclusion to be addressed judicially.
”It is already foreseeable that their short-lived joy would soon peter out when the dubiously guided manipulation orchestrated by forces from the axis of evil is brought to rubbles as it shall soon be.
”The Godswill Akpabio Senatorial Campaign Organization enjoins teeming supporters of Senator Akpabio to remain calm and not be bothered with the current development as the law clearly precludes INEC from rejecting names from parties which conduct its primaries in substantial compliance with guidelines.
”The matter on hand therefore shall soon be addressed in accordance with the law with assurance of favourable outcome for Senator Akpabio,’’ the committee added.
