2023: APC may not produce governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom

As the controversy over who is the authentic chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State rages on, there are indications the party may not produce a governorship candidate for the 2023 general elections in the state.

The party may not also field candidates for the State and National Assembly elections in the South-south state.

Although the party conducted its governorship primary a few minutes past midnight., on Friday, after sporadic gunshots along a major road in Uyo, the fundamental issue of recognition between the two factions is yet to be resolved.

Stephen Ntukekpo, a factional chairman of the party, backed by the APC presidential aspirant, Godswill Akpabio, conducted the governorship primary at Ekpo Obot Street, Uyo.

Akan Udofia, an entrepreneur who is relatively unknown in Akwa Ibom politics, emerged as the winner of the primary.

Mr Udofia, an Engineer, reportedly polled 1227 votes to defeat a former presidential aide, Ita Enang, who scored 34 votes while 19 void votes were recorded.

Mr Udofia defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC a few days after the PDP cleared him to contest its governorship primary.

He joined APC about a week to the party’s governorship primary.

The APC primary that produced Mr Udofia was, however, not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Inside story

The Austin Ekanem-led faction which is loyal to a former national secretary of the party, John Akpanudoedehe, was set on Friday to hold its governorship primary at the Sheergrace Arena, Nsikak Eduok Avenue, Uyo.

The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, and the Commissioner of Police in the state, Andrew Amienghene, and their officials were at the venue at about 6:45 p.m. to monitor the primary.

Officials of the two federal agencies waited for hours without seeing the voting materials and the party officials.

Mr Igini told reporters at about 11 p.m. he got a phone call from the chairman of the primary organising committee, Tunde Ajibulu who informed him that they had taken the voting materials to the State Security Service (SSS) facility in Uyo for safe-keeping.

Mr Ajibulu reportedly said he was traumatised, having been held up for hours on the road within the city by loyalists of both factions who were fighting for control of the voting materials.

Mr Igini said since the primary would no longer hold on Thursday, the party should write to INEC informing it of a new date and venue.

INEC, Mr Igini said, would only monitor the primary conducted by Mr Ekanem-led state executives whom he said were duly elected on the October 16, 2021 state congress monitored by the commission.

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ALSO READ: 2023 Akwa Ibom APC Governorship Primary: Factions fight for control of voting materials

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The APC crisis in Akwa Ibom, as reported extensively by PREMIUM TIMES, began when Mr Ntukekpo, backed by Mr Akpabio, forged the results of the APC state congress and used it to get a favourable court judgement that paved the way for him to become the party chairman in the state, instead of Mr Ekanem who was duly elected chairman.

Complications

The APC national leadership recognises Mr Ntukekpo as the state chairman, and so the voting materials for the primaries in Akwa Ibom were sent to their factional office at 6 Ekpo Obot Street, Uyo.

But INEC recognises Mr Ekanem as the APC state chairman.

While the electoral law in Nigeria empowers political parties to organise the nomination processes to choose their candidates for elections, the same law also empowers INEC to monitor the processes and authenticate the ones that are done in accordance with the law.

The APC in Akwa Ibom, as it is, appears to have boxed itself into a corner, and may not produce a governorship candidate and other candidates for the general elections in 2023.

Mr Igini, while briefing reporters in Uyo last week, said INEC would not compromise its stance on the sanctity of the process that produced the Mr Ekanem-led executives, according to a report by the Sun newspaper.

He expressed shock that Mr Ntukekpo, who in the original result of the October 16, 202,1 APC state congress scored 006 votes, later got 1006 (in the forged result) while Mr Ekanem who polled 1, 278 votes in the original result later got 278.

He said the APC crisis was unnecessary and stressed that the commission would not monitor any APC primary not supported by Mr Ekanem.

Meanwhile, INEC in Abuja on Wednesday wrote a letter to the political parties, drawing their attention to the provision of section 84(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which empowers it to monitor primaries.

“A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Act shall hold primaries for aspirants for all elective positions which shall be monitored by the Commission.”

“In line with this provision, the Commission shall, in monitoring primaries, only recognise delegates that emerged from Congresses duly monitored by the Commission.”

With these provisions of the Act, INEC may therefore not recognise candidates submitted to it by Mr Ntukekpo’s faction.

Reactions

Mr Akpanudoedehe said the ‘election’ of Mr Udofia as the APC governorship candidate was a “joke”.

Other aspirants, Austin Utuk and Mr Enang, when contacted, said they were preparing to brief the press on the development.