The senatorial ambitions of former Minister of Niger Delta Godswill Akpabio and Senate President Ahmed Lawan in 2023 may have irrevocably failed.

This is because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday denied altering electoral documents in favour of Lawan and Akpabio.

Names of the duo were missing from the list of successfully nominated candidates submitted to INEC by the 18 political parties in June.

Having lost out in their quest for the 2023 presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Messrs Lawan and Akpabio have been making efforts to claim the senatorial tickets of the party for the Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts, respectively.

While Bashir Machina and Udom Ekpoudom had emerged as candidates in the primaries supervised by INEC officials in their respective senatorial zones, the names of Messrs Lawan and Akpabio, who did not participate in the elections were instead forwarded to the commission as candidates.

The acceptance of names was justified by the Akwa-Ibom INEC REC, Mike Igini, but the ultimate decision currently rests with the court.

“INEC has no powers to reject names sent by political parties. Primaries are the sole prerogatives of parties. INEC’s responsibility is merely to monitor the primaries and make sure they abide by their own regulations, the Electoral Act & the Constitution,” Mr Igini said in a report.

However, a media report on Tuesday said INEC had backdated Certified True Copies of reports of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries “to accommodate” Messrs Lawan and Akpabio..

Although Akpabio had won a rerun held in the zone, there is no report of a similar election held in Yobe where Machina in Yobe emerged the winner.

READ ALSO: Wike, Akpabio Attack Each Other In Rivers

In a statement by its spokesperson, Festus Okoye, on Tuesday, INEC denied doctoring or certifying any document in favour of either of the two APC chieftains.

The commission said it had followed through its timetable and there was no point in its schedules where the names of the persons in question were published.

“The forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the commission. The decision of the commission triggered legal actions which are still ongoing. It therefore 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,” the statement said.

Okoye said the copy of the form uploaded on the online news platform as evidence, was not properly fact-checked and had thereby encouraged misinformation.

“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 had 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.

“For the record, the commission has not recognised either of the two personalities as a senatorial candidate,” Okoye further explained.

He called for responsible reporting of the development just as he described the story by the online platform as an unwarranted attack on the electoral body.

Read more authentic news on our social media platforms

President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew Fatuhu Muhammed who left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has given reasons why he took the decision.

Muhammed, son of Buhari’s elder brother, and the lawmaker, who represents Daura/Mai’Adua/Sandamu Federal Constituency of Katsina State in the National Assembly, failed to secure his re-election ticket after polling 30 votes, while Aminu Jamo, his rival secured 117 votes.

READ  ALSO: Why Buhari Is More Loyal To Niger Republic

Since the primaries, there have been clashes between the camps of Fatuhu and Jamo.

Muhammed said he left APC because his rival abused his father.

“I received an audio recording where their candidate (Jamo) called my father, Alhaji Mamman Dan Baffalo, by name and abused him. Alhaji Mamman Dan Baffallo and President Buhari are of the same father and mother.”

“Out of the 26 children born by their father, they are the only males that are from the same father and mother. So, abusing my father is abusing the president.

“So, I said since the issue has gone beyond politics to denigrating the dignity of my parents, I cannot take it any longer, and it is not binding on me to stay in the party, so I decided to leave,” he said.

Read more authentic news on our social media platforms

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja was on Wednesday urged  to disqualify Gov. Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and his Deputy, Jatau Manassah Daniel from contesting and participating in the 2023 Governorship Election in Gombe State.

The appeal came from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Gombe State Governorship Candidate, Muhammad Jibrin.

The duo alleged that Governor Yahaya and his deputy  submitted forged certificates to INEC when filing their documentations for the 2023 goveenorship elections.

This was contained in SUIT NO: FJC/ABJ/CS/1301/2022 between Peoples Democratic Party & 2 Ors v. INEC & 3 Ors filed on the 2nd August, 2022.

PDP prayed the court to disqualify  Inuwa and his deputy from contesting the election having submitted forged documents and certificates to INEC which were published on 22nd July, 2022.

READ ALSO: Monkeypox Outbreak Hits Gombe

In an originating summons filed on their behalf by two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chief Arthur Obi Okafor, SAN and J.J. Usman, SAN, the plaintiffs submitted relying on a series of Supreme Court decisions that Inuwa and his deputy having deposed to FORMS EC-9, the said forms constitute certificates and making false statement in them amount to submitting forged certificates which is a disqualifying ground under Sections 177(d) and 182(1)(j) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended).

In court processes the plaintiffs alleged that Jatau bears multiple names in his certificates to wit:

Certificate of primary Education (ManassahJatau),

West African Examination Council School Certificate (Daniel Manassah J),

University of Maiduguri Certificate (Manassah Daniel Jatau),

National Youth Service Corp Certificate (Daniel Manassah)

without a deed poll and any valid change of name attached to his Form EC-9 submitted to INEC.

The Plaintiffs alleged that in 2022, Gov. Inuwa submitted FORM EC-9 (Affidavit of Personal particulars of Person seeking election into the office of governor of Gombe State) where he stated that he worked in Bauchi State Investment Company Limited in 1984, A.Y.U & Co. Ltd between 1985-2003 as against what he deposed to in 2018 as working in Bauchi Investment Company Limited in 1985, A.Y.U & Co. Ltd between 1980-1990.

That Gov. Inuwa in 2018 while presenting his personal particulars to INEC to participate in the Gombe State Governorship election stated in his INEC FORM CF001 that he worked with A.Y.U & Co. Ltd from 1980 – 1990, while in 2022, the same Inuwa stated in his INEC FORM EC-9 that he worked with A.Y.U. & Co Ltd from 1985 – 2003.

The governor by his INEC FORM CF001 has stated under oath that in 1980 -1990, he worked with A.Y.U. & Co Ltd, however, in 2022, the same Inuwa stated again on oath via his INEC FORM EC-9 that he worked with the same A.Y.U. & Co. Ltd from 1985 – 2003.

According to the plaintiffs, Inuwa’s deputy attached his Certificate of National Youth Service Corp dated the 31st July, 1980 which stated thus: “This is to certify that Daniel Manassah NYSC/Mad/79/6201 has satisfactorily completed one year of the national Service from 1st August 1979 to 31stJuly 1979 in accordance with section 11 of the national Youth Service Corps decree No. 24 of 1973.”

The plaintiffs further contended that the deputy governor who claimed to be working with the Nigeria Army from the period of August 1979 till July 1980 has submitted an NYSC discharge certificate that stated on its face that he commenced his National Youth service in August 1979 and completed same in July 1979.

The plaintiffs also contended that from the paragraph D of the Jatau’s INEC Form EC-9, he claimed that he worked for the Nigeria Army from July 1979 till August 1980 and his reason for leaving the Nigeria Army in July 1980 was for the National Youth Service.

The plaintiffs  contended further that in Jatau’s INEC FORM EC-9, he commenced his NYSC after he left the Nigeria Army in July 1980 but submitted an NYSC Certificate that stated he commenced his National Youth Service in August 1979 and ended in July 1979.

The plaintiffs argued that FORM EC-9 being an affidavit on oath, both  Gov Inuwa and his Deputy Jatau having made false statement therein, have committed forgery and are not qualified to contest the election which they have set themselves to do.

The plaintiffs urged the court to disqualify them. No date has been given for the hearing of the case.

Read more authentic news on our social media platforms