2023: APC Has No Governorship Candidate In Akwa Ibom – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday said the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has no governorship candidate ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial election.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mike Igini, revealed this in a report forwarded to the headquarters of the electoral body.

Igini in the letter forwarded to INEC headquarters wrote, “We wish to report that the APC governorship primary scheduled to hold on Thursday, May 26, 2022, at the Sheergrace Arena, Nsikak Eduok Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State did not hold at all.”

The report revealed that a monitoring team led by Igini, with the Commissioner of Police in the state, Andrew Amiengheme got to the venue of the primary for the third time at 6:45 p.m., without any party member at the venue of the primary.

They were informed the APC election committee members were hindered from accessing the venue of the primary by an angry group of APC members along a major road in Uyo.

The APC election officials were later rescued by operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) and were taken to the facility of SSS.

The Chairman of the Election Committee, Tunde Ajibulu reached out to Igini that he was unable to leave the SSS office because he was traumatised.

He further stated that he could not hold the governorship primary because of the way he was feeling.

Ajibulu noted that the venue given to him by the party’s national office in Abuja was not Sheergrace Arena.

He stated that “all activities be postponed until he gets back at the Commission.

Igini who left the venue at about 10:30 pm spoke with newsmen before leaving the venue.

It was gathered that a faction loyal to the former minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, held a primary late in the night which produced Akan Udofia.