The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has again refused to acknowledge President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan as the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe North in 2023.
This was as the electoral commission on Thursday said it
stood by the report of its Monitoring Team on the conduct of the Yobe Senatorial primaries; stressing that it has not published any name for the party.
INEC’s reaction came on the heels of a counter affidavit purportedly filed in the Federal High Court, Damaturu Judicial Division relating to the Yobe North Senatorial District primary election.
The Commission in a statement released by the National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye said notwithstanding the matter in court and without prejudice to the consideration or likely outcome of the case in court, it has not rescinded its earlier position that it stands by the report of its monitoring team and it was on the basis of that report that it did not publish the name and personal particulars of any candidate for the Yobe North Senatorial District.
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The statement noted that INEC will review its quality assurance protocols, including the preview by appropriate ranking officials of all processes filed on its behalf to ascertain their correctness in all material particulars with all reports and all information at its disposal before their presentation, to avoid a repeat of similar situation.
The Commission added that the it has also instructed the external counsel briefed to handle the matter to reflect the correct position, which aligns with the report submitted by INEC monitoring team.
The APC ticket for Yobe North senatorial district is currently in dispute between the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and another aspirant, Bashir Machina who has accused the APC and Lawan of trying to steal from him, the mandate that was freely given to him at the primary by the people of the senatorial district.
( Editor, Omor Bazuaye)
