The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has refuted allegations that it doctored, backdated and certified documents to accommodate the nominations of Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Akpabio.
Lawan from Yobe North Senatorial District and Akpabio from Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District both put up a failed bid for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and are now locked in a legal battle to get nomination for senate.
INEC, in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, on Monday, “for the record, the Commission has not recognised any of the two personalities as a Senatorial candidate.”
The commission described allegations of certifying the dou’s nomination as spurious.
According to the electoral umpire, “As evidence of the alleged role played by the Commission, a certified true copy of Form 9C uploaded by their political party and received by the Commission on 17th June 2022 when the nomination portal closed was presented.
“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 17th June 2022 when the portal closed.
“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.”
INEC said its decision not to publish the forms of the two personalities triggered legal action which are still ongoing, adding that it 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.
“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. The Form was certified on 15th July 2022.
“If minimum care has been exercised by the promoters of the story, they would have seen the two stamps of the Commission bearing different dates on the Form. It is this Form that is now misconstrued as INEC’ s endorsement,” the commission said.
The statement called for “responsible reportage as against the unwarranted attack on the commission and its officials over a matter than can be easily fact checked.”