The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to treat the withdrawal of Senator Godswill Akpabio from the Akwa North West Senatorial District re-run election in Essien Udim local government area as a concession to defeat.
Speaking in Uyo in a press conference, State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Ini Ememobong also called on INEC to declare that the All Progressives Congress Party (APC) has no candidate in Essien Udim for the re-run.
Ememobong said Senator Akpabio and the APC cannot substitute his candidacy with another person upon his withdrawal, saying the law only permits a substitution upon the death of a candidate.
He alleged that there were plans by Senator Akpabio to use the judicial process to derail the conduct of the re-run elections, by instituting court actions to compel INEC to accept his withdrawal.
He stated that the call for the sack of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Mike Igini was ill-motivated, and challenged Akpabio to participate in the elections if he feels he can win the re-run.
“The purported withdrawal of the Senatorial candidate is a clear face-saving attempt by Chief Akpabio, in a bid to avoid a recurring defeat by Senator Chris Ekpenyong, whom he had earlier boasted was not a match for him.
“We urge the Independent National Electoral Commission to treat the withdrawal letter of Senator Akpabio as a concession of defeat and hold that APC has no candidate in the forthcoming Senatorial rerun due next year.
“We ask the commission to ignore and discountenance the shameless demand for the removal of Mike Igini as REC. This call is ill-motivated as he wants REC that will allow him the liberty to concoct results in Essien Udim during the rerun, as that is the only way he can win elections there,” he stated.
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