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By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the primary that produced Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.
Akpabio, who stepped down for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the party at the convention, was declared winner of a senatorial primary rerun conducted on Thursday.
The APC Chairman in the state, Stephen Ntukekpo, had said he was directed by the national leadership of the party to carry out a rerun over alleged infractions in the first primary.
According to the results announced at the end of the rerun primary election, Akapbio emerged polled 478 votes to emerge the winner , while DIG Udom Ekpoudom (rtd), who won the first primary, secured just three votes.
But speaking with Daily Trust in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Sunday, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Mike Igini, said the commission would only recognise the winner of the primaries monitored by its officials.
He denied the claim that the commission monitored the rerun senatorial primary where Akpabio emerged winner.
“The primaries was concluded on the 27th of last month, so I don’t know what you are talking about. The one that was conducted was monitored by INEC and the report has been submitted to Abuja.
“INEC is not aware of any senatorial primaries conducted on Thursday that was monitored by INEC, none,” he stated.
The REC also affirmed that the APC has no governorship candidate in the state, saying the governorship primary where Mr Akanimo Udofia emerged winner was not monitored by INEC.
Ekpoudom, Akpabio, Ekpoudom trade words over senatorial ticket
Meanwhile, Ekpoudom has assured APC members in the senatorial district that he will “under no circumstance, relinquish, withdraw or be substituted no matter the degree of pressure and inducement dangled by anyone.”
Ekpoudom, in a statement issued by his campaign organisation, vowed that he will under no circumstance relinquish the ticket to Akpabio.
“The 2023 DIG Udom Udo Ekpoudom (Rtd), Senatorial Campaign Organisation has observed an absurd, ridiculous and highly provocative conspiracy with respect to the APC Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District Senate Primary election, validly won by Udom Udo Ekpoudom. We vehemently wish to reiterate and state as follows;“Recall that Ekpoudom duly participated in the Akwa Ibom North West APC Senatorial District Primary Election held on Friday, May 27, 2022, in line with the 2023 Election Timetable and Guideline of our Party.
“The purported “scam election” held on Thursday, 9th June, 2022 at the Skills Acquisition Centre in Ikot Ekpene is nothing but illegal, deceitful, unconstitutional, and legally defective,”Ekpoudom said.
But reacting through his media aide, Jackson Udom, Akpabio insisted that the primary that produced Ekpoudom is illegal and not recognised by the state and national leadership of the APC.
“Ekpoudom cannot claim he is the candidate of the APC for Akwa Ibom North West. Ask him which faction he belongs to. Was the primary that purportedly produced him that of Stephen Ntukekpo led leadership of the party? If not so then the exercise he participated in is illegal,” he said.