A former presidential aide and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, Senator Ita Enang, has cautioned the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to avoid a repeat of what he called the Zamfara episode, which will prevent the party from having candidates in the 2023 general election.
Enang stated this in a letter, dated July 5, 2022, to the APC National Chairman, titled: Akwa Ibom APC’s Fruitless Primaries and ‘No Candidates’ Challenges: Electoral Act 2022, Our ‘Bigger than the Law’ Posturing and Not INEC is Our Problem.
The letter was copied to President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, APC presidential flag bearer Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Progressive Governorsd Forum Chairman and Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Bagudu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), members of APC NWC and INEC Chairman.
Enang said Section 84 (1) stipulates that nomination congress shall be monitored by INEC, adding that the electoral body did not monitor the purported congresses that produced the candidates of the Stephen Ntukepo-led executive, and could not be obliged to file the products thereof.
He maintained that INEC was at the Austin Ekanem-led executive and duly monitored the Senate, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly elections primaries and, therefore, bound to accept and file the candidates that were elected thereof.
The letter reads: “Therefore, by Section 84 (5)(c) of the Electoral Act 2022, as amended, it is the aspirants who emerged from the INEC monitored senatorial, House of Representatives and Assembly primaries being winners of the primaries of the party and the aspirant’s name shall be forwarded to the commission as the candidate of the party.
“As of today, the names forwarded to INEC are not the names of persons who emerged from valid primaries monitored by INEC and conducted by legitimate officials of the party. The names sent are the ones conducted by the Ntukepo-led club and not monitored by INEC.
“By failing or refusing to send the names of the aspirants who emerged from validly conducted primaries monitored by INEC, the party is latently declaring that it does not intend to sponsor candidates for the senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly elections. This is the law and INEC is bound to comply.”
“The Chairman and NWC should please prevent a situation where the party has no candidates in the elections. That the candidates for the senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly in the primaries monitored by INEC should be forwarded to INEC as candidates of the party.
“That the Chairman and NWC should please certify and forward to the party leaders in Akwa Ibom State the list of authentic and authenticated ward executives, local governments chapter executives and state executives who may have emerged from valid INEC monitored respective congresses at wards, chapter and state levels, to enable actors to know who to deal through.”