The trio of Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal are on the brink of being caught in between the jaws of the law.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Akwa-Ibom State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, yesterday revealed how the trio, amongst other politicians who obtained more than one nomination form risk two years’ imprisonment under the Electoral Act, 2022.
The INEC Commissioner, who made this disclosure while featuring on a television programme, quoted Section 115 (D) of the Electoral Act, as the basis of his assertion, adding that any candidate who runs afoul of this law is liable to be jailed for two years and Section 115 (3) even states that any attempt to obtain multiple forms is an offence.
According to him, “A person who signs a nomination paper, or result form, as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years”.
Speaking further, Igini said, the electoral term ‘constituency’ refers to a separate election whether it is presidential, governorship, senatorial, the House of Representatives, or that of the State Assemblies. “Section 115 (D) of the 2022 Electoral Act stipulates that no person shall sign, or obtain more than one form as a candidate for different elections. And the offence for that under sub-Section K, beyond the financial, he will go to two years’ imprisonment.
“Some people are claiming that they participated in one election; that they filled two forms. It is ignorance of the law, and it’s not an excuse. We are preventing them from being candidates for prison and they are calling us names everywhere”, the commissioner added.
Igini had insisted that INEC did not monitor the primaries that produced Akpabio as the senatorial candidate for Akwa-Ibom North-West.
Recall that Akpabio had contested the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he withdrew from the race on June 7 and asked his supporters to back Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor who eventually emerged as APC presidential candidate.
Prior to the presidential primary, on May 27, Udom Ekpoudom, a former Deputy Inspector-General of Police, had won the primary election for the Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial ticket. A parallel primary election was conducted and won by Ekperikpe Ekpo. However, it was later cancelled over irregularities, while a rerun was conducted on June 8, with Akpabio declared as the winner of the exercise. Lawan after losing the APC presidential ticket reportedly asked Bashir Machina, winner of the Yobe North Senatorial primary, to relinquish the ticket.
This implies that the Senate President and Akpabio might have secretly obtained the nomination form for the senatorial seat of their respective districts while also seeking presidential tickets. Likewise, Governor Tambuwal, of Sokoto State, clinched a Senate ticket and also, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, went for a second-term bid after losing their presidential ambition in the 2023 general elections.
By Igini’s account, other politicians who might have violated the Electoral Act include Governor Ben Ayade, of Cross-River State, amongst others.
