Mike Igini: It’s criminal offence to obtain multiple nomination forms… politicians ignorant of the law

Mike Igini, resident electoral commissioner of Akwa Ibom state, says it is an offence under the electoral act 2022 for politicians to obtain multiple nomination forms.

“A person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election [commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years],” section 115 (D) of the electoral act 2022 reads.

Speaking when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday, Igini said by “constituency”, the electoral act 2022 refers to separate elections whether it is presidential, governorship, senatorial, the house of representatives or that of state assembly.

He said any candidate who runs afoul of this law is liable to be jailed for two years, and that section 115 (3) even states that an attempt to obtain multiple form is an offence.

“Section 115 (D) of the 2022 electoral act stipulates that no person shall sign, obtain more than one form as a candidate for different elections,” he said.

“And the offence for that under subsection K, beyond the financial, he will go two years’ imprisonment. 

“Some people are claiming that they participated in one election, that they filled two forms; it’s ignorance of the law and it’s not an excuse. 

“We are preventing them from being candidates for prison and they are calling our names everywhere. 

“There are many candidates that have done this. INEC can only point you in that direction; that’s what we can do.

“People walk their way to prison when they say that they bought two forms. Section 115 (D) prohibits that. 

“In fact, subsection 3 of 115 says that even that attempt itself will be treated as the offence. 

“If you bought two forms for different constituencies at the same time as a candidate. If they bought two forms like we have been hearing, they have run afoul of the law already. 

“Because a state assembly election is a constituency, house of representatives is a constituency, senatorial is a constituency, governorship is a constituency, presidential is one constituency.”

Igini had insisted that INEC did not monitor the primaries that produced Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom, as the senatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom north-west.

Akpabio had contested the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he withdrew from the race on June 7, and asked his supporters to back Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor.

Prior to the presidential primary election, on May 27, Udom Ekpoudom, former deputy inspector-general of police (DIG), had won the primary election organised for the Akwa Ibom north-west senatorial ticket.

However, a parallel primary election was conducted that was won by Ekperikpe Ekpo, but which was later cancelled over irregularities, while a rerun was conducted on June 8, with Akpabio declared as winner of the exercise.

Ahmad Lawan, senate president, after losing the APC presidential ticket reportedly asked Bashir Machina, winner of the Yobe north senatorial primary election, to relinquish the ticket.