The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally excluded Senate President Ahmad Lawal from its final list of senatorial candidates.
Mr Lawan and Sheriff Bashir Machina have at loggerheads over the Yobe North senate ticket ticket in the 2023
On the other hand, Godswill Akpabio, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, had made the list as the APC candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.
Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered INEC to accept and publish Akpabio’s name as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Akwa Ibom North-West District for the APC.
On Tuesday, the commission has published the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates of the 18 registered political parties in the country.
Mr Lawan, who was elected into the National Assembly since 1999, has been struggling to retrieve the Yobe North senate ticket after he lost out at the APC presidential primaries.
Despite being anointed as the ruling party’s preferred candidate by the APC national chairman Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Lawan suffered a humiliating defeat after he came a distant fourth with 152 votes against Bola Ahmad Tinubu’s 1,271 winning votes. Mr Rotimi Amaechi came second with 316 votes, while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo came third with 235 votes.
However, after losing the bid to secure the party’s presidential ticket, Mr Lawan aided by the party’s leadership, moved to return to the senate.
Mr Machina who was the sole candidate in the senatorial primary secured 289 votes and was declared the party’s candidate.
But Machina, who confirmed that he has been approached by some persons to step down for Lawan, however vowed not to withdraw from the race.
APC chairman Adamu had warned that Machina risked severe sanctions if he refused to relinquish his ticket to Lawan.
However, In a statement on Sunday, Mr Machina has dismissed claims that he had stepped down for Lawan.
He said it was also not true that he had defected from the APC.
The statement said, “It has been brought to my notice that some unscrupulous elements forged a letter of my withdrawal from the race out of mischief and blackmail.
“I state unequivocally that the letter was forged. I did not at any time withdraw or resign from the APC.
“I was shocked when I discovered that some persons concocted plans to mislead the public particularly my supporters into believing that I have withdrawn.”
Mr Machina called on the national secretariat of the APC to issue a statement on the forged letter which carried its official stamp.
The APC chieftain said he had instructed his lawyers to institute legal action against those behind the fake letter of his withdrawal from the race.
