Politics

2023: APC Fails To Upload Candidates For 25 NASS Seats

Published

3 years ago

July 10, 2022

Following its inability to resolve several internal crises among its members, All Progressives Congress, APC, may not field candidates for 25 National Assembly, NASS, seats, it was learned.

At the end of the deadline for submission of candidates for NASS seats on June 17, APC was said to have been unable to upload some of its candidates.

Prominent among the vacant seats are Yobe North and Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial Districts where the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and immediate past Minister of Niger Delta, Sen Godswill Akpabion hail from.

A party source, who is angry at the development, lamented that APC leaders are nowhere to be found at a critical time such as this.

He said: “Our National Chairman is out of the country. Some said he went to China while others said he went to Germany. Our National Secretary, understandably, is very busy in his home state, Osun, ahead of the governorship election. Some members of the National Working Committee,NWC, are also either out of Abuja or even out of the country.

“The situation is such that even staff salaries at the party headquarters were only paid recently.

“As things stand, we don’t have candidates for 25 National Assembly seats because we did not upload candidates.”

Vanguard gathered that APC has been trying to use back channels to get the Independent National Electoral Commission ,INEC, to do its bidding by allowing it to upload candidates for the affected seats.

However, it was gathered that INEC insisted that it could not bend the rule for the ruling party.

The online submission of nomination forms EC9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and 9E for national elections – presidential and national assembly started on June 10 and ended on June 17.

Also, the dates for the submission of nomination forms for state elections – governorship and state assembly are between July 1 and July 15.

When contacted, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka declined comments.

However, INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, told Vanguard that “some political parties uploaded half the number (of candidates) depending on their relative strength and electoral preferences”.

Okoye was not specific about the APC.

He said: “We have 109 Senatorial Seats and 360 House of Representatives seats. We have presidential and vice presidential nominations. Ordinarily, each registered political party is supposed to upload the personal particulars of 471 candidates.

“Some political parties uploaded half the number depending on their relative strength and electoral preferences. The personal particulars of the validly nominated candidates have been published in the various constituencies.

“There is no law that mandates political parties to nominate 471 candidates. I can confirm that majority of the political parties did not meet up with the 471 threshold”.

Meanwhile, INEC has stated that its decision regarding the non publication of candidates for the Yobe North Senatorial District and Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District remained sacrosanct as it cannot reverse itself again.

Advising aggrieved political parties to approach the Federal High Court for remedial measures, INEC said it has now become “functus officio” in the matter.

Specifically, APC has been making a lot of allegations regarding its primary elections in the two districts.

VANGUARD

Politics

PDP Crisis: INEC Rejects Turaki-led NWC

Published

16 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Editor

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it will not recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, citing existing court judgments and unresolved legal processes.

This was as contained in a letter dated December 22, 2025, signed by INEC Secretary, Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony.

The Commission stated that it could not act on demands to acknowledge or upload on its website the list of national officers said to have been elected at the National Convention held on November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan.

According to INEC, its position was guided by subsisting court decisions and pending litigation relating to the leadership crisis within the PDP.

The electoral body further noted that it would be improper to recognise any factional officers while the matter remains before the courts.

Politics

Govt That Fails To Protect Its Citizens Has No Business Remaining In Office – Kwankwaso

Published

17 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Editor

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has accused the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of lacking the political will to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Kwankwaso spoke on Tuesday in Kano while unveiling 2,000 operatives of the Kano State Neighbourhood Security Network.

He urged President Tinubu to “rise to the occasion and truly act as the Commander-in-Chief” in addressing banditry and other security challenges.

According to him, Nigeria’s military “remains one of the most gallant in the world,” having served in international peacekeeping missions in Darfur, Liberia, and other conflict zones.

However, he said the armed forces are not being adequately supported to perform optimally.

“Today, many innocent Nigerians are being killed, while the perpetrators walk freely as if nothing happened. The government must apologise to Nigerians for its laxity in the fight against insecurity,” he said.

Kwankwaso, who once served as Minister of Defence, added: “When I was Defence Minister, I knew the capability of the Nigerian military. They are courageous and professional but need clear direction, support, and political will to do the needful.”

He stressed that Nigeria’s armed forces had historically ranked among the best globally and urged the government to equip them properly to change the current security situation.

Kwankwaso also said that if elected president in 2027, he would recruit over one million additional military personnel to strengthen national security.

“Any government that fails to protect the lives and property of its citizens has failed woefully and has no business remaining in office,” he declared.

He further called on the Federal Government to integrate community-based security initiatives, like the Kano Neighbourhood Security Network, into the national security system to boost morale and improve intelligence-driven operations against criminals.

Politics

ADC Announces Temporary Closure Of Secretariat

Published

17 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Editor

The African Democratic Congress, ADC , says it has temporarily closed its National Secretariat as part of the end-of-year break.

A statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said full operations are scheduled to resume in the New Year.

According to the statement, the secretariat will close on December 23, 2025, and reopen on January 5, 2026.

The party, however, said essential skeletal services will remain available throughout the period, while all other official activities at the National Secretariat will be suspended to allow staff and party officials observe the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“This is to inform the public that the African Democratic Congress National Secretariat will close for the year on 23rd December 2025 and will resume full operations on 5th January 2026.

“During this period, only skeletal services will be available, while all other official activities at the Secretariat will be temporarily suspended,” the statement said.

The party thanked its members, partners and supporters for their continued loyalty and cooperation throughout the year, noting that their support remains critical to the growth and stability of the party.

The ADC also said it is committed to its ideals and to democratic engagement as it prepares for activities in the coming year.