Akpabio: APC Drags INEC Commissioner Over Refusal to Obey Court Order

• APC has dragged the Akwa Ibom state REC, Mike Ogini, over his refusal to recognise the candidature of former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio
• The ruling party in a petition to the SGF, Boss Mustapha, alleged that Igini, who was expected to be neural, was meddling in intra-party affairs
• It was learnt that Igini's statement peeved the APC that the election that produced Akpabio was a Nollywood fantasy

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, over the senatorial candidature of Godswill Akpabio.

In the petition, according to The Nation, the ruling party dragged the Akwa Ibom state resident electoral commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, over his refusal to recognise Akpabio, the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

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The APC's position

The APC said Igini is disobeying a court order that upheld Akpabio's candidacy and unlawfully recognising a candidate produced by a factional group in the party's state chapter.

The party wondered why an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official, expected to be an unbiased umpire, was involved in intra-party affairs.

APC asks the SGF to forward its petition to INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu

The APC then asked the SGF to forward the petition to INEC national chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, to remind him of its earlier complaint against Igini.

The petition, dated July 1, has the national secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore, as its signatory.

Reason Why INEC did not recognise Akpabio's candidacy

It was learnt that the alleged statement of the REC that INEC did not witness the Akwa Ibom north-west primary that produced Akpabio pushed the APC.

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The REC said that the May 27 primary where the former deputy inspector general of police, Udom Ekpoudom, remained valid because it was neither cancelled nor inconclusive.

Igini also described Akpabio's emergence as a "Nollywood fantasy."

The report added that Akpabio emerged the winner of a rerun primary election which was recently conducted. He polled 478 votes of the 512 casts by accredited delegates.

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Recalled the former minister of President Muhammadu Buhari resigned his position to contest the presidential ticket of the APC.

Akpabio met with the party delegates in Katsina and said he was seeking their support with the promise of ending insecurity.

He also stated that he could help unify the country following the steady rate of violence across different regions.

Source: Legit.ng