Resident Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mr Mike Igini has again said that Senator Godswill Akpabio is not known to the commission as candidate of the APC for the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district election.
He said on Monday in an interview on Arise Television monitored in Uyo, that Akpabio could not have been the party’s candidate because he did not emerge from a validly conducted primary election of the party.
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He insisted that a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Udom Ekpoudom was validly elected and remained the party’s candidate for the election. According to him, INEC was fully in obedience of every court action on the case involving the two factions of the APC in the state.
Only last week, INEC had published the names of candidates qualified to contest the 2023 elections, but Akpabio’s name was not included.
Akpabio’s media men reacted to the development, saying there was no cause for alarm.
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In the statement which was published by Mr Anietie Ekong in his verified facebook wall, the media men said “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.
“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 can not be deemed with any note of finality.
“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.”
