A Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has yesterday sacked former Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressive Congress, APC candidate for the Akwa Ibom West Senatorial district ahead of the 2023 general election. The Appeal Court squashes the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja which directed the INEC to include Akpabio as the APC candidate for the Akwa Ibom West Senatorial district as submitted by the party. During the Federal High Court ruling by justice, Emeka Nwite, he said INEC “cannot choose and impose a candidate on a political party”.
The judgment is coming shortly after the Federal High Court in Uyo has nullified the Akwa Ibom APC governorship primaries which have dampened the spirit of the APC supporters in the state.
According to the Federal High Court in Uyo, the APC Governorship candidate, Akanimo Udofia, was not a member of the party and therefore does not have the right to contest in the fresh election.
A chieftain of the APC in Akwa Ibom, Imo Akpan who is also a lawyer confirmed the nullification of my Akpabio candidacy on his Facebook post.
In his post, Imo wrote, “The Court of Appeal sitting at Abuja has declared Udom Ekpoudom as the duly elected Senatorial candidate of the APC for the 2023 Senatorial election for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.
“In a unanimous decision, the Court in its wisdom held that the Senatorial primary held on May 27, 2022, was valid,” Mr. Akpan, a member of the Akan Udofia/Victor Antai Governorship Campaign Council in Akwa Ibom, said in the social media post.
In a Channel TV report, the judgment of the three-member panel of justices as read by, Justice Danlami Senchi held that Mr. Akpabio failed to file a proof of arguments within the time provided by the rules.
Instead, Mr. Ekpaudom, a retired deputy inspector General of police, is now recognized as the valid candidate of the APC by the INEC to replace Akpabio in the primary held on the 27th of May, 20222.
However, both the state and the National headquarters of the APC preferred the former Governor as the candidate for the party and that was what ensured they organized an election for him after
According to the Channels TV report, the Appeal Court ruled that though, Mr. Akpabio a preferred aspirant of the party could not have participated in the primaries held on the 27th of May as monitored by INEC which also produced Ekpoudom.
The statement partly reads; “The judgments of their noble lords, as shocking as they are, are a further testament to the fact that our judicial institutions must be strengthened and insulated from undue interference by extraneous forces. It must be our collective decision to ensure judicial independence for the common good.
“Be that as it may, the leadership of the party is reviewing the judgments and their varied ramifications with the legal team and shall communicate its decision on the next line of action soon,” the APC chieftain, Mr. Akpan, said of the Appeal Court judgment and that of the Federal High Court, Uyo.
