L-R: Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio all lost at the elections
At long last, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published the particulars of the presidential candidates, vice presidential candidates, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates for the forthcoming 2023 elections with the names of Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and that of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, missing on the senatorial list.
INEC did not stop at publishing the names, it explained why some of the names submitted by the political parties were missing from the list published by the commission. Lawan, Akpabio and Umahi, had been listed by the All Progressives Congress as candidates for Yobe North, Akwa Ibom North-west, and Ebonyi South senatorial districts, respectively.
Recall that these men had also contested the APC presidential ticket and lost to Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Umeahi had long before the primaries dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC to pursue a presidential ambition especially when the agitation was high for the presidency to be zoned to the Southeast.
But in what is perceived as a lopsided political move, the leadership of the party decided to compensate them with the senatorial tickets in a manner not transparent. It is believed that the three men were excluded on the list placed in various constituencies of the elective positions, because they did not emerge through validly conducted primary elections.
Lawan, who obviously did not participate in the Yobe North primary election had his name sent to INEC by the APC at the expense of Bashir Machina, who won the primary. In Akwa Ibom State, an earlier primary election held on May 27 had produced Udom Ekpoudom, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police. But the APC dumped Ekpoudom and allowed an illegal fresh primary that produced Akpabio.
Umahi also had a primary election that produced his brother cancelled for a fresh one, but it was not recognized by INEC. “Lawan, Umahi and Akpabio are not on the list. I can confirm that to you. They did not emerge through valid primaries and so, we can’t accommodate them,” a top INEC official disclosed.
