The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday denied doctoring and backdating documents to accommodate the nominations of Ahmad Lawan and Godswill Akpabio as senatorial candidates for the 2023 general elections.
INEC also said it is yet to recognise “any of the two personalities as a Senatorial candidate.”
Mr Lawan, who is the current Senate President and Mr Akpabio had both contested in the All Progressives Congress presidential primaries, which was won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Both have however chosen to pick up Senate tickets for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts respectively, sparking controversy over the legality of such a move since most Senate primaries had already been conducted before the presidential primaries.
In a statement by the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Chairman Voter Education, Festus Okoye, the electoral body said, “For the records, the commission has not recognised any of the two personalities as a senatorial candidate. For the records, the commission has not recognised any of the two personalities as a Senatorial candidate.”
Okoye used the opportunity to call for responsible reporting, decrying the “unwarranted attack on the Commission and its officials over a matter than can be easily fact-checked.”
He debunked claims making the rounds online that INEC purportedly “doctored, backdated and certified documents” to favour Akpabio and Lawan.
“For clarity, the Form EC9 (submission of names of candidates by political parties) is the form uploaded by parties on the INEC nomination portal. This is clearly indicated on the title of the form, which was received on June 17 2022 when the portal closed,” Okoye explained. “What follows is the publication of the personal particulars of nominated candidates, which was done a week later. The forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the commission.”
According to him, INEC’s decision 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”, he added. “As part of the ongoing case in Court, a law firm requested the commission for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Form EC9 submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, which we are duty bound to oblige them under the law.”
He further disclosed that the form was certified on July 15.
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