The Independent National Electoral Commission has refutes the claim by an online publication to have doctored, backdated, and certified documents to accommodate the nominations emanating from Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts in respect of Senators Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Akpabio.
A statement signed by the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee Festus Okoye Tuesday 9th August 2022.
He said for the avoidance of doubt, the role played by the Commission was a certified true copy of Form 9C uploaded by their political party and received by the Commission on 17th June 2022 when the nomination portal closed was presented.
Hence For clarity’s sake, the “Form EC9 (submission of names of candidates by political parties) is the Form uploaded by parties on the INEC nomination portal. This is indicated on the title of the Form which was received on 17th June 2022 when the portal closed.
“What follows is the publication of the personal particulars of nominated candidates which was done a week later. The Forms of the two personalities in question were not published by the Commission. The decision of the Commission triggered legal action which is still ongoing. It, therefore, defies logic and common sense to go around and submit doctored documents purportedly recognizing the duo as candidates when the matter is sub-judice.
“As part of the ongoing case in Court, a law firm requested the Commission for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Form EC9 submitted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District which we are duty bound to oblige them under the law.
“The Form was certified on 15th July 2022. If minimum care has been exercised by the promoters of the story, they would have seen the two stamps of the Commission bearing different dates on the Form. It is this Form that is now misconstrued as INEC’s endorsement.
“For the record, the Commission has not recognized any of the two personalities as a Senatorial candidate.”
It, therefore, calls for responsible reportage as well as fact-checking every piece of information before putting it out to the public and avoiding an unwarranted attack on the Commission and its officials.
