Courtroom nullifies Akwa Ibom APC governorship main

A Federal Excessive Courtroom, Uyo, has nullified the election of Akanimo Udofia because the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State.

The decide, Agatha Okeke, ordered the APC to conduct a contemporary governorship main inside 14 days.

The case was instituted by a former senator, Ita Enang, who claimed that he was the validly elected candidate of the APC in Akwa Ibom.

In a judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Okeke agreed with Mr Enang’s argument, and dominated that Mr Udofia was not a member of the APC having not participated in all of the phases of the method of electing a governorship candidate of the get together.

Mr Udofia, a profitable entrepreneur, was a member of the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP), and had purchased the PDP nomination varieties to contest the get together governorship main in Akwa Ibom earlier than he defected to the APC.

He obtained the APC governorship ticket within the state with the affect of the previous minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, to the consternation of most of the get together members and supporters.

Justice Okeke dominated that Mr Udofia didn’t fulfill the supply of the electoral legal guidelines which stipulates that he should have been a member of the APC for not less than 30 days to the nomination, and that furthermore the waiver Mr Udofia allegedly obtained from the APC was not signed by “any identified individuals”.

The courtroom ordered that Mr Udofia be excluded from a contemporary governorship main of the APC in Akwa Ibom.

“I actually thank God about this judgment,” Mr Enang, former particular adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, advised PREMIUM TIMES, Monday afternoon.

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“I thank the judiciary, I thank the Electoral Act, I thank Akwa Ibom individuals. And I additionally thank my brother, Akan Udofia. And naturally, APC could be very lively on this state, and we’ll win the election,” he stated.

PREMIUM TIMES couldn’t instantly attain Mr Udofia for his touch upon the judgment, as he didn’t reply to calls and a textual content message to his telephone line.

‘Akpabio supporting YPP candidate for governorship’

In the meantime, three sources inside the APC have advised PREMIUM TIMES that the previous minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Akpabio, is supporting the candidate of the Younger Progressives Occasion (YPP), Bassey Albert, for the 2023 Akwa Ibom governorship election.

The sources stated Mr Akpabio has an understanding with Mr Albert that the APC supporters in Akwa Ibom North West District, the place the previous minister is contesting for Senate, would vote for the YPP within the governorship election, whereas Mr Albert would rally the YPP supporters within the district to vote for the APC within the senatorial election, in order that Mr Akpabio might defeat the PDP candidate, Emmanuel Enoidem, who’s his main rival.

Two sources near Mr Albert have confirmed the existence of such understanding between Messrs Akpabio and Albert.

The YPP senatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom North West District, Emmanuel Ekon, has been pressured by each Akpabio and Albert to not launch any marketing campaign so as to not confuse or distract the voters within the district, the 2 sources stated.

The spokesperson to Mr Akpabio, Jackson Udom, nonetheless, dismissed the difficulty as a beer parlour gossip.

“I’m not conscious of that. That’s what is named beer parlour-gossip,” he stated on Friday when a PREMIUM TIMES reporter contacted him.