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Group Petitions Electoral Body, INEC Over 'Incomplete Credentials' Submitted By Bauchi Governorship Candidate, Abubakar

Sadiq
August 16, 2022

The APC governorship candidate submitted incomplete information to INEC, in disregard of the 2022 Electoral Act.

A civil society organisation, the Accountability and Democratic Project (ADEP) has written a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Sadique Abubakar, for the 2023 elections.

Abubakar, a former Chief of Air Staff, according to the petition submitted by ADEP to INEC, allegedly withheld some of his required certificates and provided incomplete information.

According to the letter dated August 15, 2022, and address to the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, and obtained by SaharaReporters, the APC governorship candidate submitted incomplete information to INEC, in disregard of the 2022 Electoral Act.

ADEP, through its Executive Director, Ahmad Muhammad, said, “As part of our scrutiny of candidates aspiring for political offices for the February 2023 elections, we are currently going through submissions made by candidates to your commission as required by law. In the course of this, we have found, with concerns the submission made by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the governorship of Bauchi State, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique Baba (retired) where he filed in incomplete information and withheld important credentials that should be part and parcel of his EC 9.

"A cursory look at the form shows the candidate claimed that he was born in Azare. He also claimed to have attended St Paul Primary School and finished in 1973, and graduated from… Curiously, however, the Candidate did not annex documents to prove all these claims that are vital to his overall credentials.

"As you are aware, by the provision of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution (as amended) persons aspiring for elective positions in Nigeria need to first be Nigerian citizens, by birth. Surprisingly, however, the very document that should prove to us the citizenship of the candidate in question is not supplied.

"Anybody reviewing the document is also left doubtful about the primary school and secondary schools the candidate claimed to have attended as there is no evidential document to confirm that. We view this as a flagrant disregard of the Electoral Act and the INEC Guidelines as all candidates are clearly directed to attach all credentials they claim to possess to the EC 9 form.

"It is in this light that we draw your attention to this grave disregard for the law and ask that you apply the law appropriately by disqualifying the said Abubakar Sadique Baba." 

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