The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has insisted on the emergence of the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, as the party’s candidate for the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.
Recall that the former minister had resigned his position to pursue the APC presidential ticket that heralded the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
Following the development, a former deputy inspector-general of police, Udom Ekpoudom, won the Akwa Ibom north-west senatorial ticket.
However, following Ekpoudom’s win, a parallel primary was also conducted and won by Ekperikpe Ekpo but was later cancelled over irregularities.
A rerun conducted on June 8 was said to have produced Akpabio as the winner of the exercise, in contrast to a list published by INEC in late June, excluding the name of the ex-minister.
INEC, in a statement through its spokesperson, Festus Okoye, on Saturday had maintained that aggrieved parties were at liberty to approach the court to seek redress on the issue.
“Right now, the Commission is funtus officio in the two cases. Aggrieved parties are at liberty to approach the Federal High Court and seek redress as provided in section 285 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and sections 29(5) and 84(14) of the Electoral Act, 2022,” INEC stated.
However, protesting the decision of INEC, the state APC through the chairman of the APC media committee in the state, Iniobong John reassured that the former minister would be elected in 2023.
Iniobong, in a statement on Saturday, said, “There’s absolutely no cause for alarm, nothing to worry about. Be reassured that Mr Akpabio will be elected senator for Ikot Ekpene (Akwa Ibom North-West) come 2023.”
