The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that it is not aware of the withdrawal from the Anambra central senatorial race re-run by Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the commission, Dr. Lawrence Azubike, said this yesterday while meeting with political parties and stakeholders in the state at the INEC headquarters in Awka.
Before now, there had been speculations that Ngige had withdrawn from the race, following his appointment as the Minister of Labour and Employment.
However the state secretary of the APC in Anambra, state Mr. Chukwuma Agupugo reminded the commission of the letter to that effect by Ngige, which was submitted by the party to the commission as required by the electoral act.
But Azubuike maintained that he would go into the records of INEC to find out the truth of the matter as he just resumed in the state.
According to him “we are not aware that anybody has withdrawn, we have not received any statement to that effect, this election is a re-run not a bye- election.
“What the electron means is essentially, going back to March 28, 2015, INEC will use that same method in conducting the election and we are going to await for further directive from the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.”
“The political parties and the candidates for the re-run election are not in doubt, only the candidates and parties who participated in that election will participate now, excluding the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because of the court judgment,” he said.
During the last National Assembly election in 2015, 14 political parties took part in the election; the implication is that following the disqualification of PDP only 13 parties would take part.
But INEC was yet to decide whether APC would be allowed to present a fresh candidate, if Ngige declines to contest because of his new position.
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