By Leo Sobechi
As Nigerians gear up for the 2023 General elections, it is becoming apparent that the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is on trial in the court of public opinion.
The electorate is on the look out specifically to see how far INEC utilises the enormous powers ceded to it by the Electoral Act 2022 to demonstrate its impartiality and independence.
For sometime now, the perception of bias has always trailed the electoral commission’s conduct, particularly given the allegation that the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) constantly breathes down the throat of the commission.
The first alarm raised against INEC’s perceived subservience to the APC-led Federal Government was when the commission shifted the deadline for the conduct of primaries in deference to the governing party.
However, although the commission showed sufficient evidence that it was not just the APC, but other political parties that benefitted from the slight adjustment, the feeling of bias still subsisted.
While objective commentators like Monday Ubani, urged that INEC should be accorded the benefit of the doubt, the issue of wrongful substitution of candidates by the governing party roiled public apprehension.
Nigerians were aghast when the APC submitted the names of the Senate President and former Minister for Niger Delta, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and Senator Godswill Obot Akapbio, who participated in the party’s presidential primary, as APC senatorial candidates.
Although the 1999 constitution as amended, stipulates that it is only a political party that could identify who flies its flag during election, the Electoral Act specified particularly that candidates must emerge from validly conducted primaries.
In the case of Lawan and Akpabio, the question on the lips of many Nigerians who saw the two participating in the APC Special Convention, where the former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, emerged as the party’s presidential candidate was the two aspirants purchase two forms apiece for the Presidential and Senatorial contests?
While the cases of Lawan and Akpabio were still being debated, it was also gathered that a similar underhand substitution of validly nominated candidates happened in Abia State. A member of the Ninth National Assembly representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, was also wrongfully substituted with Emeka Atuma, who contested unsuccessfully for the APC governorship primary in the state.
Going by the APC regulations, candidates for any elective office were to purchase the party’s expression of interest and nominations, undergo screening and, if cleared, participate in the straw poll, monitored by INEC and if successful in the primary, issued a certificate of return.
Source: https://guardian.ng/politics/inec-electoral-act-on-trial-over-candidates-nomination-process/
