The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has no candidate for Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senatorial Districts.
INEC’s National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Recall that Senate President Ahmed Lawan, who represents Yobe North, is battling to get the party’s ticket after losing the APC presidential primary.
On the other hand, Godswill Akpabio, a former Akwa Ibom State governor, is also in a tussle to get the party’s ticket to run for the state’s North West Senatorial seat.
Akpabio had also vied for the APC presidential race which was won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
However, Okoye has now disclosed that INEC does not recognise any APC candidate for both senatorial zones.
Okoye said, “In these two constituencies, two names were forwarded and the Commission made a determination that the names were not persons who emerged from a validly conducted party primaries and we did not publish their names. That is where we are.
“Their (Akpabio and Lawan) names were uploaded by the APC to our candidates’ nomination portal, but the Commission made a determination that they were not the candidates that emerged from valid party primaries.
“The Commission didn’t publish their names and their particulars in their constituencies. So, the implication is that as of today, the APC does not have candidates in those two constituencies.”
Meanwhile, INEC had last week denied doctoring and backdating documents to accommodate the nominations of both Lawan and Akpabio as senatorial candidates for next year’s general elections.
