According to rights activist Femi Falana (SAN), the All Progressives Congress (APC) can only nominate Ahmad Lawan and Godswill Akpabio as senatorial candidates for the 2019 election if Bashir Machina and Udom Ekpoudom “voluntarily withdraw” from the race.

Falana also referred to the APC’s nomination of Lawan and Akpabio as senatorial candidates as “brazen impunity” and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to be misled into evading its legal obligation to clean up the democratic process.

Lawan, the Senate president, and Akpabio, the former minister of affairs for the Niger Delta, both ran for the APC presidential nomination.

The APC planned senatorial primaries for May 27 and presidential primaries for June 6 to June 8.

Ekpoudom won the monitored primary for Akwa Ibom north-west, while Machina won the party nomination for the Yobe north senatorial district.

However, Akpabio was declared the winner of another primary, but Mike Igini, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Akwa Ibom, stated that the Commission did not oversee the process that produced the former minister as a candidate.

Lawan was informed by Machina that he would not be resigning as Senate President.

On the list submitted by the APC to INEC, Lawan and Akpabio are listed as senatorial candidates for Yobe north and Akwa Ibom north-west, respectively.