2023: Group writes INEC, seeks disqualification of Bauchi APC governorship candidate

By Baba Aminu

A Civil Society Organisation, Accountability and Democratic Project (ADEP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi state for the 2023 elections, Abubakar Sadique Baba, for withholding information.

According to a letter dated August 15, 2022 and address to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, the APC governorship candidate submitted incomplete information to INEC, in disregard to the 2022 Electoral Act.

ADEP, through it’s Executive Director, Ahmad Muhammad, said some of the document submitted by Sadique Baba, raised doubt over his eligibility to contest the election as governor of the state.

Muhammad said, “As part of our scrutiny of candidates aspiring for political offices for the February 2023 elections, we are currently going through submissions made by candidates to your commission as required by law. In the course of this, we have found, with concerns the submission made by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the governorship of Bauchi State, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique Baba (retired) where he filed in incomplete information and withheld important credentials that should be part and parcel of his EC 9.

“A cursory look at the form shows the candidate claimed that he was born in Azare on . He also claimed to have attended St Paul Primary School and finished in 1973, and graduated from… in Curiously, however, the Candidate did not annexed documents to prove all these claims that are vital to his overall credentials.

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“As you are aware, Sir, by the provision of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution (as amended) persons aspiring for elective positions in Nigeria need to first be Nigerian citizens, by birth. Surprisingly, however, the very document that should prove to us the citizenship of the Candidate in question is not supplied.

“Anybody reviewing the document is also left doubtful about the primary school and secondary schools the candidate claimed to have attended as there is no evidential document to confirm that. We view this as a flagrant disregard of the Electoral Act and the INEC Guidelines as all candidates are clearly directed to attach all credentials they claim to possess to the EC 9 form.

“This deliberate omission also keeps us guessing, if Mr Baba has anything he is hiding thus choosing to declare only a part of the credentials he claims to possess they are necessary requirements for him to stand as a candidate in the upcoming election.

“It is in this light that we write your good office to draw your attention to this grave disregard for the law and ask that you apply the law appropriately by disqualifying the said Abubakar Sadique Baba.”