By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Mike Aondoakaa, former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister Justice has cautioned that signing the withdrawal form as part of documents for nomination as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate can make one’s election to be invalidated.
Aondoakaa who said this in an interview with journal after he submitted his APC governorship nomination forms at the Abuja International Conference Centre disclosed that he has not signed the form.
Form 18 in the nomination form of APC is a withdrawal letter addressed to the National Chairman of the party which must also be signed before a Commissioner of Oath/Public Notary before submission.
It states that “I hereby voluntarily withdraw my candidacy from the contest. My withdrawal is in the best interest of our great party, the All Progressives Congress.”
But the nation’s former chief law officer said: “if you sign an agreement that you have withdrawn from the race, assuming you win the general election, the opposition party will file an action that you did not partake in the election and when that form is subpoena (produced) you have withdrawn from the election so you can not be part of it.”
He said: “Unfortunately, I did not sign and I sought clearance. The implication is a two way traffic. If you sign that agreement now and you win election and the opponent come to know that you signed the agreement, I can bet you your election will be invalidated.”
Aondoakaa said what the leadership of the party intended is to have the withdrawal during primaries in compliance with the Electoral Act and not that an aspirant withdraws before primaries.
“I think what the leadership of the party intended is to have that withdrawal in the case at the time of primaries people want to withdraw in compliance with the Electoral Act, they just fill in there and a Commissioner for Oaths will endorse it.
“It can not be intended that you withdraw before you participate, it looks absurd because if you win the election, the election will be invalid,” he stated.
Aondoakaa also said insecurity started during the Peoples Democratic Party-led administration of when he was the AGF
because of the collapse of the government in Libya which made people moved with small weapons through South-Sahara to the West African region.
He said: “The insecurity is an external aggression that is spreading within the country but it is something that after some years it will go. We will overcome it and that is why I will not expect insecurity to be something a politician will use. There are many valid things to use. You don’t talk security on the pages of newspaper and you also don’t shout security.
“It is something that governors should join hands with the federal government to find a solution. It is a delicate issue. It is something that started during our time and we were not loud about it. We had cooperation from the governors that time. I was the Attorney General, we have issues and we were resolving them.
“The next set of governors, which I hope to be in the north should come together and form a strong security buffer to protect our northern part of the country because the influx of these criminals is coming more to us. It is not something you will say I am APC, I am PDP then you start looking for a tribe to blame.”
On his mission for Benue, Aondoakaa said: “My dream is to make sure that all citizens living in Benue have equal rights, opportunities to do their activities. Those who are doing business, farming, and farming is not restricted to only crops farming, all forms of farming, they should do their business harmoniously.”
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
