By Adeleye Kunle
The elections in Nigeria in 2023 may not take place due to infighting within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
reports that there is palpable tension within INEC over the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership’s continued push to ensure the participation of Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former Niger Delta Minister Godswill Akpabio in the 2023 senatorial elections in Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West, respectively.
According to INEC sources, political parties, particularly the ruling APC, are putting pressure on Prof. Mahmood Yakubu’s INEC in relation to their anointed candidates, who are deemed ‘powerful’ in the Nigerian political space.
Some of the recent back and forth over names published by INEC as candidates, some of whom did not participate in primaries at all or did not even purchase nomination and expression of interest forms, may be related to underhanded moves at the Commission.
According to Tracknews , some of INEC’s recent publications containing the names of those whose nominations fell short of the legal requirements are a “testing of the waters because the Lawan and Akpabio situations have become very delicate.”
Both Lawan and Akpabio ran for the APC presidential ticket in June, but while the former lost to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the latter stepped down in his place.
Despite this, the Abdullahi Adamu-led APC nominated candidates for the Yobe north and Akwa Ibom north-west senatorial elections in 2023 to INEC.
In contrast, INEC documents show that Bashir Machina is the duly nominated APC candidate for the Yobe North senatorial district, which Lawan is claiming.
Udom Ekpoudom, a retired deputy inspector general of police, had won the ticket for Akwa Ibom North-West before the APC leadership changed his name and sent Akpabio’s details.
According to Tracknews, reports from INEC officials who monitored some primary elections for both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were rejected by some forces within the commission.
This development has reportedly disappointed many well-intentioned INEC staff, particularly INEC Commissioners, lowering morale ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The article first appeared on Track News.
