Primaries: CSO asked APC, INEC to include Sam Onuigbo in ballot, lauds commission on pronouncement on candidate nomination

A non governmental organizations, Foundation for Natural Justice & Good Governance (FNGG), and Nigeria Civil Society on Development and Rights Advocacy (NCSDRA) on Tuesday, applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission  on its recent position relating to issues of Candidate nomination and release of Certified True Copies of Documents (CTC), as necessitated by the controversial outcomes of concluded primary elections conducted across many states of the Nigeria federation by registered political parties, ahead of the 2023 main elections in the country.

It would be recalled that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had in a release issued during the week, declared that it shall recognize candidates on based on monitoring reports by its officials in states offices.

According to the release, “To set the record straight, the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria mandates the commission to monitor the organization and operations of political parties, including their finances, convention, congresses and party primaries.

“In line with its constitutional and legal obligations, the Commission deployed the monitors to the various Constituencies and received reports of such execrise.

“In relation to the primaries in Akwa Ibom North-west , and Yobe North Senatorial districts, the commission stands by its monitoring reports received from our state office.

“For this reason, the Commission did not publish personal particulars of any candidates for the two Constituencies at variance with the state reports.

“Right now, the Commission is funtus officio in the two cases. Aggreived candidates are at liberty to the federal high court and seek redress as provided in section 285 of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria,1999(as amended) and sections 29(5) and 84(14)of the electoral act, 2022”, it explained.

The Commission added, “on issuance of Certified True Copies (CTC) of the Documents, staffs  of the Commission have been working hard, including weekends,  to meet the deluge of requests received. As at Friday 8th July 2022, the commission has processed 433 requests involving the certification of one million, six hundred and sixty-two thousand, seven hundred  and seventy-six (1,662,776) pages of documents. Many of them are awaiting collection at the INEC Headquarters by some of the same applicants complaining of delay in issuance of the CTC’s.

“Section 29(4) of the electoral act provides that any person may apply to the Commission for a copy of nomination forms, affidavits, and any other document submitted by a candidate at an election, the Commission shall upon payment of a prescribed fee, issue such person with a Certified Copy of documents within 14 days. Persons applying for CTC of documents should endeavor to act timely and within the ambit of the law”, the INEC submitted.

But reacting, the pro-democracy group, in a statement jointly signed by FNGG Executive Director, Dr Maxwell Ndubuka, and NCSDRA Director General, Comrade Adeniyi Marcus, issued to newsmen on Thursday, berated the alleged illegality, and unfairness displayed by leadership of the All Progressive Congress, aftermath of the recently-conducted senatorial primary elections in Abia central district of Abia state, wherein the party leadership unlawfully and deliberately substituted  name of the winner, Hon Sam Onuigbo, with another aspirant, who lost during the May 26th indirect gubernatorial primary election also held in Abia state on basis of harmonization of interests, maintaining that such action by the APC negated democratic principle and basic ideologies.

Recall that Sam Onuigbo who currently is the member  representing Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency at the House of Representatives, was declared winner following a run-off election which took place in Umuahia on Sunday, 30th May, 2022.

The execrise was earlier on Saturday 29th May, declared inconclusive before conducted the run-off election.

Out of 318 accredited voters, he polled a total of 157 to defeat his close rival, Chief Henry Ikoh, who polled 152, and also, nine votes were voided.

A co contestant for the Abia central Senatorial seat ticket of the APC, Senator Nkechi Nwogu, had before the commencement of the primary election, withdrew from the race.

Continuing, the Civil Society Groups, buttressed that, with the latest clear pronouncement on the issues relating to candidate nomination by the INEC, the leadership of the governing APC need not to be told, to reverse its wrongful decision, and include name of the rightful winner, reminding the party that this undemocratic practices, such as substituting Onuigbo with a governorship co contender, Emeka Atuma, who failed to  secure the gubernatorial ticket and was used for substitution, even though Nigeria’s constitution vested such power on political party is criminal.

The rights groups reiterated that it is unacceptable, fraudulent and assault on the nation’s democracy, to list a party member who did not pick APC senatorial expression of Interest and nomination forms, and party member who did not also participate at the concluded primary election held in Abia central Senatorial district, as party candidate for the forthcoming national Assembly elections in 2023, urging the national leadership to save the APC from looming failure, and catastrophic that is about to befall the Progressive party in the coming elections in Abia central Senatorial zone, and indeed, Abia state as a whole.

According to the groups in its statement, “we, as member group of coalition of civil society organizations in Nigeria, would want to pose this questions, when did Emeka Atuma declared or intimate party leaders members in Abia state about interest to contest the Abia central Senatorial seat ticket of the APC? When and where was the venue he purportedly participated, and also emerged as candidate of the APC for the 2023 Abia central Senatorial seat election? Which officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission was deployed to monitor the charade he claimed, produced him as the APC senatorial candidate for Abia central? Which INEC montoring report from state office that affirmed Emeka Atuma, the winner of the APC senatorial primary election for Abia central district that took place between 29th to 30th May, 2022 in Umuahia?

The Rights Advocacy groups continued, “Which expression of Interest and nomination forms of the APC did Emeka Atuma presented  before the senatorial screening committeie set up the party national executive committee? And what clearance certificate was he issued at the end of the execrise by the APC screening committee members?

The organizations called on the All Progressive Congress, to halt the injustice meted Onuigbo and other aspirants that necessitated the avalanche of lawsuits pending in different courts of competence jurisdiction, challenging the validity of the wrongful substitution of  names of candidates that successfully emerged ss winners of the concluded primaries its oversaw nationwide, urging the party leadership to stick with the electoral guidelines and constitution of the land, and include Onuigbo’s name in the list of candidates which its submitted to INEC in order to save democracy from collapsing.

The CSO’s lambasted one of the APC governorship aspirant, Emeka Atuma, for manipulating and luring the party leadership into taking such illegitimate step, and listed Atuma as the candidate of the APC for the 2023 main national assembly elections, whereas he sought the ticket of the party during the recently- concluded gubernatorial primary election which took place in Abia state, and was defeated and rejected by majority of the party delegates and people of Abia state, adding that the party must get it rightly at this moment to win election by fielding candidates chosen by the people, and with the requisite capacity to win an election and foster needed economic growth and development in stratas of Abia and Nigeria as a whole nation.

The group warned the APC leadership that It may loose its acceptability and popularity among the populaces in Abia should there allow this rape on our democracy and constitutionalism to stand, insisting that the will of the party delegates who overwhelmingly elected Sam Onuigbo, as the best among equal to replicate what he had done as current member of the lower chamber of the national Assembly, in Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency, to the entire Abia central senatorial district when elected come 2023.

Conclusively, the civil society groups, however, urged INEC not to fall into the whims and caprices of disgruntled political elements who are bent to use whatever opportunity available to them to truncate the will of the people for personal political selfishness, reechoing its earlier stand that Hon Sam Onuigbo be included in the list of name of candidates that successfully emerged at the just concluded APC primaries, as anything contrary to their demand, could lead to downfall of the party in Abia central senatorial district in the upcoming 2023 general elections.