Akwa Ibom 2023: NNPP asks INEC not to publish names of ‘disqualified candidates’
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has purportedly snuck candidates it had previously barred from running in the state's 2023 elections into its final list, according to the Akwa Ibom chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, or NNPP.
Solomon Johnny, the party's publicity secretary, made it clear that the party was concerned about some of its candidates who had previously been disqualified by INEC being named by INEC and begged the election umpire not to publish such names.
Yesterday, Johnny made a claim in response to queries on Tangsio FM, 102.7, an Ibibio radio programme in Uyo.
He emphasised that for political parties to be eligible to file candidates to contest any poll under the new Electoral Act, such parties must subscribe to the guidelines of INEC and never play a fast one on other political parties..
He said:”The NNPP calls on INEC to weed out political parties which failed to comply with relevant provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act in holding or not holding their primaries.
“The political parties were accordingly disqualified by the Commission from submitting candidates and participating in the 2023 governorship poll.
“We don’t want names of such candidates to be published next month as the Commission makes final list of candidates public.
” NNPP holds INEC in very high esteem and therefore calls on the Commission to ensure that no desperate group drags her good name to the mud. We call on INEC to continue to sustain the confidence reposed on her by members of the public.”
Johnny recalled that the immediate past Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Barr Mike Igini, relied on the powers of the commission to disqualify parties that had failed to conduct proper primaries.