The names of Senate President Ahmed Lawan, immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio and Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi were conspicuously missing from the list of senatorial candidates displayed yesterday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at its offices across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Also currently on display at INEC offices are the names of the presidential candidates of the various parties. These include Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his running mate Ibrahim Masari; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP)and his running mate Doyin Okupe.
The list was published along with the affidavit in support of personal particulars (Form EC9) of Presidential and National Assembly candidates for the purpose of claims and objections.
The names of Lawan, Akpabio and Umahi were submitted by their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), just before the expiration of the deadline given the parties to submit their candidates’ names.
An INEC source confirmed that although the APC submitted the name of Akpabio for Akwa Ibom North West, the commission could not publish his details. INEC: our obligation is only to candidates who emerged from primaries monitored by us.
Explaining INEC’s position on the excluded persons, the agency’s National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the commission had no obligation to publish the names of candidates that did not emerge from valid party primaries.
“If a political party submits to the Independent National Electoral Commission the name of a candidate that did not emerge from party primaries or did not emerge from valid party primaries, the commission is not obligated to publish the name of such a candidate,” he said.
However, Mr Okoye noted that INEC had not published the final list of validly nominated candidates.
“The final list of validly nominated candidates will be published by the Independent National Electoral Commission on the 20th day of September, 2022. And that is for presidential and national assembly candidates.
“What the Commission has published, as of today, complies with Section 29(3) of the electoral act which says that the moment political parties comply with the provision of Section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act in terms of the submission of its validly nominated candidates, that the Commission shall publish the personal particulars of such candidates in the constituencies where the candidates intend to contest election.
“In other words, for instance for a senatorial candidate, if a senatorial district covers four local governments, we will publish the personal particulars of such a candidate in the four local governments.
“So that is exactly what we have done. And we published the personal particulars of candidates that emerged from valid party primaries. And that’s what the law says we should do. So, if the name of any candidate was not published, or if the personal particulars of any candidate was not published today, the implication is that such a candidate did not emerge from valid party primaries.”
Lawan, Akpabio and Umahi had first contested the presidential primary of the APC. Akpabio however withdrew from the contest shortly before it got underway while Lawan and Umahi lost.
On the list of the presidential candidates published yesterday by INEC are that of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Mr. Ibrahim Masari; PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa. Others are Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and his running mate, Doyin Okupe; Osita Nnadi, presidential candidate of Action Peoples Party (APP) and his running mate, Isa Hamisu; Kolawole Abiola, presidential candidate of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and his running mate, Ribi Marshal; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party and his running mate, Johnson Oladipupo; Yabagi Sani, presidential candidate of Action Democratic Party (ADP) and his running mate, Udo Okey -Okoro; Ado-Ibrahim Abdulmalik, presidential candidate, Young Progressives Party (YPP) and his running mate, Enyinna Kasarachi.
Also on the list are Omoyele Sowere, presidential candidate African Action Congress (AAC ) and his running mate, Garba Magashi; Mamman Dantalle, presidential candidate of Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and his running mate Ojei Princess; Chukwudi Umeadi presidential candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and his running mate Koli Mohammed; Oluwafemi Adenuga, presidential candidate of Boot Party (BP) and the running mate Turaku Mustapha; Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu, presidential candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the running mate, Ramalan Abubakar; Dumebi Kachikwu presidential candidate, African Democratic Congress (ADC) and his running mate, Ahmed Mani;Hamsa Almustafa, presidential candidate, Action Alliance (AA) and his running mate Chukwuka Johnson among others.
