APC Insists Lawan, Akpabio Are Its Senatorial Candidates

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Despite the refusal by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  to recognise,  accept or publish the names of a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as senatorial candidates, the ruling party, has insisted that the duo remained candidates of the party in the 2023 elections.

INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Information and Chairman Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, had in a recent statement said, the commission had not recognised the duo.

“For the records, the commission has not recognised either of the two personalities as a senatorial candidate. 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 June 17 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,” he then said.

But the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, told THISDAY yesterday that both Lawan and Akpabio were the known senatorial candidates to the party for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North-West respectively.

According to him,  “The party is the party and the party has conducted its primaries and submitted the list of its candidates to INEC. In the case of Akwa Ibom North West, Godswill Akpabio and in the case of Yobe North, we have Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.”

Asked why Machina, who won the Yobe North East was dropped, the APC national Publicity scribe declined further comments as he noted that there was a subsisting case in Court.

Morka added: “I believe they are in court at the moment, that’s the last I heard. They are in Court and I won’t speak to it. I have told you that Lawan is our Senatorial candidate, I will like to leave it at that. They are in court and I would not like to be interrogated further on that.”

Machina had on Monday denied withdrawing for Lawan or resigning his membership of the ruling party.

Lawan lost the party’s presidential race while Machina had already contested and won the senatorial primary in Yobe North, the zone Lawan is representing at the National Assembly.