Respite For Akpabio, Gets Court’s Nod As APC Senatorial Candidate

• INEC awaits formal service of the court judgment

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept and publish the name of former Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Akwa Ibom North/West senatorial district in the 2023 election.

Giving ruling in the case on Thursday in Abuja, Justice Emeka Nwite, said INEC acted illegally by refusing to accept and publish Akpabio’s name even when APC had sent it as its valid candidate.

Nwite noted that the electoral umpire lacked the power to have disqualified the 2nd plaintiff (Akpabio), saying; “I hereby declared that the defendant (INEC) publish the name of the 2nd plaintiff as the authentic candidate”.

In the suit filed before Justice Nwite, the APC and Akpabio are 1st and 2nd plaintiffs respectively with INEC as the sole defendant. It arose from INEC’s recent warning to the APC on its choice of candidate for the Akwa Ibom North-west Senatorial seat.

According to the electoral umpire, Senator Akpabio’s name as submitted by the nation’s ruling party remained invalid until due process is followed and complied with.

Recalled that retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG Udom Ekpoudom had emerged as the party’s candidate in the primary allegedly supervised by INEC officials in the constituency.

However, amid serious contention by both camps, the party officially submitted the name of Senator Akpabio to INEC as its flag bearer in his place with DIG Udom Ekpoudom insisting that the former Akwa Ibom state governor was never a Senatorial Aspirant of the district.

Reports had emerged that Akpabio, who as a presidential aspirant collapsed his structure during the party’s convention in Abuja for Bola Ahmed Tinubu and returned to his district to get a Senatorial ticket in a rerun primary held on June 9, 2022, at the Civic Centre following the cancellation of an earlier election held on May 27.

The State Chairman of APC, Stephen Ntukekpo during the nomination said, based on directives that the previous primary has been cancelled due to reported security infractions hence the need for a rerun with Akpabio emerging the winner in an exercise boycotted by DIG Ekpoudom who polled three votes.

Interestingly, another acclaimed winner of the first primary, Ekperikpe Ekpo had announced his withdrawal from the race and urged his delegates to support Senator Akpabio’s candidacy.

However, miffed by the development, then Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in the state, Mike Igini, who is now retired, went on air to describe the purported primary as a sham even as he upheld the candidacy of DIG Ekpoudom.

This is as the spokesperson of INEC, Barrister Festus Okoye said the Commission would not comment on the matter until it receives a formal service of the court ruling and studies the same for necessary action – With NAN reports