Godswill Akpabio cleared by INEC as APC senatorial candidate

The Independent National Electoral Commission has published the final list of candidates for the general elections, with Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District.

The list carrying the presidential, senatorial and federal constituency candidates was published by INEC on Tuesday on its official website.  

Recall on September 15, An Abuja division of the Federal High Court had ordered INEC to accept and publish Akpabio’s name as  APC’s candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District. 

Backstory  

• Mr Akpabio had contested in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries of which he lost to Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 
• After losing out, He resorted to picking the senatorial tickets of the party for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts. However, Udom Ekpoudom had already emerged as a candidate after participating in the primaries, which were supervised by INEC officials. 
• Fortunately for Akpabio, the first primary conducted in the zone on May 28, 2022, was cancelled following security infractions during the primary election. 
• A rerun of the primary election was conducted and Mr Akpabio won the rerun poll having polled 478 votes. 
• Subsequently, his name was forwarded to INEC as the candidate. 
• However, INEC still failed to recognise Mr Akpabio as the senatorial candidate, which led to him approaching the court and filing a suit against INEC.  
• Though INEC told the court that Akpabio was not recognised because it only supervised and monitored the May 27 primary election and not the June 9 election conducted by APC’s National Working Committee, the judge rejected INEC’s submission and held that the consequences of INEC’s failure to monitor the election cannot be visited on Akpabio. 
• He said it is only the NWC of a political party that can conduct valid primaries as it is authorised by law to conduct such primaries. 
• Consequently, he ordered INEC to accept and publish Akpabio’s name as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District. 

What you should know  

The list published by INEC contained the names of candidates validly nominated for national elections at the close of party primaries and the period earmarked for withdrawal and substitution of candidates. 

According to INEC, on October 4, the final list of candidates for state elections as already indicated on INEC’s timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 General Elections will be published.