Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), has accused the judiciary of exploiting loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 to impose candidates on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a tweet, Sowore pointed out that the judiciary was able to declare Senate President Ahmad Lawan as a candidate in an election where he did not participate in the primaries.
The Supreme Court upheld Lawan’s candidacy for Yobe North Senatorial seat on Monday, a decision that Sowore condemned.
He argued that the Electoral Act lacks proper checks and balances and empowers INEC to be a major decision-maker for political parties, which is not democratic.
He also criticized the power of INEC to deregister parties and called on the senate to address this issue.
The controversy surrounding the APC Yobe North Senatorial ticket stems from a primary election held in May 2022, where Machina won unopposed. Instead of submitting Machina’s name, the APC submitted Lawan’s name, leading to the rejection of both candidates by INEC.
The commission urged the duo to resolve the issue internally or seek legal recourse.