Concerned Lawyers of Mikang Local Government Area have strongly dismissed a statement credited to a group styling itself as the “Mikang APC Lawyers Forum,” describing it as a faceless, non-existent, and politically motivated platform created solely to mislead the public and distort the facts surrounding the APC Primary Election for the Mikang State House of Assembly Constituency seat.
In a statement made available to journalists, the lawyers stated categorically that there is no known, registered, or recognized association bearing the name “Mikang APC Lawyers Forum” either within the locality or among legal practitioners of Mikang extraction.
They described the purported Forum as an old-fashioned political gimmick designed to create a false impression of legal endorsement for a partisan position that lacks both factual and procedural foundation.
According to the lawyers, the latest publication represents the height of desperation by Hon. Timdi Nkat and his supporters who, having failed to secure victory at the polls and unable to sustain their claims through lawful channels, have allegedly resorted to hiding behind faceless organizations to promote a narrative that is inconsistent with the realities of the primary election.
The group argued that it is both unfortunate and embarrassing that individuals pursuing narrow political interests would attempt to drag the noble legal profession into public disrepute by attaching the name “lawyers” to a body whose existence, membership, leadership, and credibility cannot be verified.
They urged those behind the publication to desist from using the legal profession as a shield for political propaganda and to stop actions capable of bringing the profession into ridicule.
The lawyers maintained that if those behind the statement were genuinely legal practitioners, they would have been better positioned to educate the public on the provisions of the APC Electoral Guidelines rather than promoting arguments that are inconsistent with established electoral procedures and internal party dispute resolution mechanisms.
The group further argued that the claim that Hon. Timdi Nkat emerged victorious in the primary election is completely at variance with the facts and official records from the exercise.
It reiterated that Hon. Timdi Nkat won only one district out of the four districts that make up Mikang Local Government Area and therefore cannot reasonably claim to have secured the overwhelming support of party delegates.
According to the lawyers, the results from the various districts clearly demonstrated that Rt. Hon. Naanlong Daniel enjoyed widespread acceptance among APC members and emerged overwhelmingly victorious with a margin of 632 votes.
The Forum noted that the figures recorded during the primary election remain a clear reflection of the democratic choice freely expressed by party delegates.
“No amount of media propaganda, pressure tactics, emotional blackmail, or attempts to attract public sympathy can alter the outcome reflected in the votes cast by party members. Elections are won at the ballot and not in the media,” the statement added.
The lawyers further emphasized that any legal practitioner with a proper understanding of party electoral procedures knows that once Ward Returning Officers have submitted and announced their results at the designated collation centre, the Collation Office, have no legal authority whatsoever to cancel, alter, reject, or invalidate those results.
They stressed that no such powers are granted to a Collation Officer under the APC Electoral Guidelines.
The group further maintained that under established electoral procedures, the cancellation of election results cannot be based on mere allegations, speculations, political sentiments, or the dissatisfaction of a losing aspirant.
It argued that only a duly documented and verified report from relevant security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force, establishing the occurrence of violence or substantial disruption of the electoral process, can form the basis for the cancellation of a result.
According to the lawyers, no official police report has been presented anywhere indicating that violence occurred in the polling units or districts whose results are being challenged.
In the absence of any verified report confirming violence, intimidation, or a breach of electoral guidelines in the affected areas, the results as declared remain valid, lawful, and binding.
Consequently, there exists no legal, procedural, or factual justification for the cancellation of the results, and the outcome of the primary election stand.
They maintained that where complaints arise regarding alleged violence, over-voting, intimidation, or any other electoral irregularity, the proper avenue for seeking redress is the Appeal Committee duly constituted by the party.
According to them, it is the Appeal Committee, and not a Collation Officer or self-appointed pressure groups that possesses the authority to review complaints, evaluate evidence, and make recommendations to the party leadership in accordance with the APC Electoral Guidelines.
The lawyers therefore called on the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, members of the National Working Committee, and all relevant party organs to disregard the activities of faceless pressure groups and remain guided by facts, documentary evidence, due process, and the recommendations of the appropriate party committees.
They expressed confidence that the APC leadership would uphold justice, protect the integrity of the party’s internal democratic processes, and resist attempts by desperate political actors to manipulate public opinion through fictitious organizations, misleading narratives, and manufactured controversies.
The group reaffirmed that the will of APC delegates as expressed during the primary election must be respected and protected, adding that democracy can only thrive when established rules and procedures are allowed to prevail over propaganda and political desperation.
E-Signed:
Concerned Lawyers of Mikang Local Government Area.
