The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Akwa Ibom State has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have any governorship candidate for the 2023 general elections.
This is coming after Akanimo Udofia, who recently decamped from the Peoples Democratic party to APC was declared the winner of the APC governorship primary with a total of 1,227 votes to defeat eight other governorship contenders.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, in a report submitted to INEC headquarters, Abuja, a copy was made available to our correspondent said the governorship primary scheduled to hold Thursday May 26, 2022 was not hold at all.
The report reads in part, “We wish to report that the APC governorship primary scheduled to hold on Thursday, May 26, 2022, at the Sheer grace Arena, Nsikak Eduok Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State did not hold at all”.
The report further stated that the commission’s monitoring team, led by Mr Igini, in the company of the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, Andrew Amiengheme, arrived at the venue of the primary for the third time at 6:45 pm, without seeing anyone.
It was gathered that while a faction of the party loyal to Senator Akpan James Udoedehe was conducting its primary at the Sheer Grace Arena, the faction loyal to Senator Godswill Akpabio, was having it’s own at Ekpo Obot, street, Uyo, the state capital.
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Meanwhile, Senator Ita Enang, one of the aggrieved governorship aspirants in the state has petitioned the National headquarters of the party and the election committee.
In a petition letter to the chairman, APC gubernatorial Appeal Panel, Akwa Ibom state titled” An appeal Against a null, void and illegal gubernatorial nomination process in Akwa Ibom State”, Enang demanded that the entire process be nullified among others.
He demanded among others that, the entire exercise should be nullified.
“That all the processes of nominations of candidates in all elective positions should be called off and the party recalled, since INEC is not monitoring the whole exercise.
“That the party be called in one accord so that we can jointly discuss among the aspirants as to the mode of conducting the exercise in order to properly carry out nomination process that will produce an acceptable candidate of the party ahead of the general election.
“That we should have an agreement with INEC as to the acceptable venue and the delegate list to be used for the election.
“The idea is to have a harmonized list from both groups of the party or discussing the modalities towards having a proper nomination process. This is because, if INEC does not monitor the election in accordance to section 84, then whatever was done at No. 6 Ekpo Obot Street on the 26th of May, 2022, would remain null and void and of no effect.
“Therefore, we should take steps that are novel. We should cancel the entire exercise, have a meeting of all the aspirants and then agree on what should be the proper mode of conducting the elections.
“Truth is, the panels from the National Headquarters of APC only recognize the Stephen Ntukekpo’s led executive. I am aware that this panel has a duty to hear only the gubernatorial appeals, since there are Appeal Panels for other categories of election.
“My final prayer is that the purported nomination of Akan Udofia as the gubernatorial candidate of the APC be cancelled.
“Mr. Akan Udofia is not an APC member. He is a PDP member, having contested and lost the PDP Primaries of Wednesday, May 25, 2022. And the following day, May 26, 2022 he was purportedly to be on the ballot for the APC illegally declared. He cannot be on the ballot of both parties at the same time.
