Akpabio, Lawan risk jail term under new electoral law

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, may not only have lost out in their senatorial bids, but may also risk a 2-year jail term for violating the 2022 electoral act, National Daily has gathered.

Recall that both Lawan and Akpabio participated in the APC presidential primaries as candidates and also got nomination forms as senatorial aspirants, a situation that may cost their party the two seats at the Senate.

According to Mike Igini, resident electoral commissioner of Akwa Ibom state, it is an offence under the electoral act 2022 for politicians to obtain multiple nomination forms.

“A person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election [commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years],” section 115 (D) of the electoral act 2022 reads.

Speaking when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday, Igini said by “constituency”, the electoral act 2022 refers to separate elections whether it is presidential, governorship, senatorial, the House of Representatives or that of state assembly.

READ ALSO: 2023 senate race: Lawan, Akpabio not on our list – INEC

He said any candidate who runs afoul of this law is liable to be jailed for two years, and that section 115 (3) even states that an attempt to obtain multiple forms is an offence.

“Section 115 (D) of the 2022 electoral act stipulates that no person shall sign, obtain more than one form as a candidate for different elections,” he said.

While Igini didn’t mention any politician name, he argued that some people are claiming that they participated in one election, that they filled two forms; it’s ignorance of the law and it’s not an excuse, he stated.

“We are preventing them from being candidates for prison and they are calling our names everywhere. There are many candidates that have done this. INEC can only point you in that direction; that’s what we can do.

“If you bought two forms for different constituencies at the same time as a candidate. If they bought two forms like we have been hearing, they have run afoul of the law already.

He insisted that Akpabio had contested the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he withdrew from the race on June 7, and asked his supporters to back Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor.

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READ ALSO: INEC excludes Lawan, Akpabio, Umahi from list of senatorial candidates  

Prior to the presidential primary election, on May 27, Udom Ekpoudom, former deputy inspector-general of police (DIG), had won the primary election organised for the Akwa Ibom north-west senatorial ticket.

However, a parallel primary election was conducted that was won by Ekperikpe Ekpo, but which was later cancelled over irregularities, while a rerun was conducted on June 8, with Akpabio declared as winner of the exercise.

Ahmad Lawan, senate president, after losing the APC presidential ticket reportedly asked Bashir Machina, winner of the Yobe north senatorial primary election, to relinquish the ticket.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress may not have candidates for the Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts in the 2023 elections because of controversies over primaries.