Festus Okoye, INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, revealed this during an interview on Channels Television's Sunday Politics.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has no candidate for the Akwa Ibom North West and Yobe North Senatorial Districts, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2023 forthcoming general elections.
Festus Okoye, INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, revealed this during an interview on Channels Television's Sunday Politics.
After losing the APC presidential primary, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, who represents Yobe North senatorial district, is battling for the party's ticket. The primary election for the senatorial district was won by Bashir Machina.
Similarly, Godswill Akpabio, a former Akwa Ibom State governor, is also vying for the party's nomination to run for the state's North West Senatorial seat.
Akpabio also ran for the APC presidential nomination, which was won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Udom Ekpoudom emerged as the winner of the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district primaries, as monitored by INEC.
Okoye has, however, revealed that INEC does not recognise any APC candidate for either senatorial zone.
He 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.”
To accommodate the nominations of both Lawan and Akpabio as senatorial candidates for the general elections scheduled for next year, INEC denied last week that it had altered and backdated any paperwork.
INEC in a state last Tuesday signed by National Commissioner Okoye, said the matter was still in court.
“The forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the Commission,” INEC said.
“The decision of the Commission triggered legal action which are still ongoing.
“It, therefore, defies logic and common sense to go around and submit doctored documents purportedly recognising the duo as candidates when the matter is clearly sub-judice.”